Chargers Focused on Team Effort Around Easton Stick

The Chargers are 5-8 as they head to Las Vegas to meet the Raiders on Thursday Night Football.

Here are five final thoughts ahead of Week 15:

Chargers quarterback Easton Stick has dominated the headlines this week.

That’s going to be the case after the Bolts placed Justin Herbert on Injured Reserve, meaning the 28-year-old Stick is in line to make his first NFL start Thursday night.

But as the Chargers prepare for a Week 15 road date with the Raiders, the Bolts offense is honed in on helping Stick realize that he doesn’t need to do it all in primetime.

“100 percent. Just like every week,” left tackle Rashawn Slater said. “Everyone is going to focus on [Stick], but we know what we have to do to win.

“It’s always a team thing, no one man can do it all … especially this week,” Slater added.

Stick said Tuesday that he has tons of faith in the Chargers locker room to help him out, especially on a short week on the road.

Chargers Head Coach Brandon Staley said he expects Bolts skill players to help elevate Stick against Las Vegas. Unfortunately, that group won’t include Keenan Allen, who is out for Week 15 with a heel injury. 

“What he has to do is just play within himself, which is what he does,” Staley said. “He doesn’t try to do too much out there — just stay within himself, let the offense work for you. We have to play team offense on Thursday.”

Staley also noted that the team will rely on Offensive Coordinator Kellen Moore, who went through a similar scenario last season in Dallas.

“One of the reasons why I was so excited to team up with Kellen was the work that he did with Cooper Rush. Dak Prescott went down and they went on that really good run with Cooper Rush as their backup quarterback,” Staley said. “The way that they had to play with Cooper Rush was different than the way that they were playing with Dak, but that’s what you have to do, you have to make adjustments.

“Then,…