Raiders at Chargers -- Week 17

Where: Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, Calif. (grass)

When: Sunday, 1:25 p.m. (CBS)

Spread: Chargers by 7.5

Forecast: A 30 chance of rain, with a temperature in the upper 50s.

Records: Raiders (4-11, AFC West 2-3); Chargers (6-9, AFC West 3-2)

Past results: Two most recent meetings -- Sept. 10, 2012: Chargers 22, Raiders 14; Jan. 1, 2012: Chargers 38, Raiders 26. Series record: The Raiders hold an all-time 58-46-2 edge in the series and 1-0 postseason advantage.

What matters: General manager A.J. Smith and coach Norv Turner are expected to be fired sometime next week. Therefore, this game could mark the end of an era of Chargers football that began with the hiring of John Butler as executive-president and general manager on January 5. 2001. Butler brought Smith with him as an assistant. Smith took over Butler’s duties on April 22, 2003 after Butler lost a nine-month battle with cancer. Since 2001, San Diego has posted a 96-82 regular season record. Six playoff appearances, however, only netted a 3-4 record with one appearance in the AFC Championship (2007). Over that same period, the Bolts have gone 16-7 against the Raiders, and this game will provide an opportunity to stretch the matchup over their arch rivals to a 10-game lead in the era.

Who matters: QB Terrelle Pryor (2011 supplemental draft) will make his first career start. Pryor briefly appeared in Weeks 15 and 16 and completed one of two passes for 5 yards. Last week the Chargers faced Jets QB Greg McElroy in his first career start and the defense got to him for 11 sacks to tie a franchise record.

Key matchups: Chargers D-line vs. Pryor: DC John Pagano will keep the heat dialed up this week, but Pryor is more mobile and therefore should be more challenging to bring down than McElroy. ... Chargers secondary vs. Raiders receivers: The one strong suit for the silver and black is their passing game, which has averaged 262.3 yards per game (ranked 8th). San Diego has allowed a mediocre 235.4 yards per game (ranked 17th) through the air. ... Chargers O-Line vs. Raiders D-line: The Raiders are next to last with only 21 team sacks. However, QB Philip Rivers has been sacked 47 times, more than any other QB this season.

Injuries of note: Chargers -- Doubtful: ILB Donald Butler (groin). Questionable: RB Ronnie Brown (hamstring). San Diego has three players who are listed as probable, including ILB Takeo Spikes (hamstring), who missed practice on Wednesday. Raiders -- Out: CB Philip Adams (groin) and QB Carson Palmer (ribs). Questionable: S Tyvon Branch (neck, ankle) and G Mike Brisiel (concussion, ankle). Oakland has six players listed as probable.

Inside stuff: Chargers owner/president Dean Spanos has spoken with Turner on the field every day after practice this week and that’s unusual. Spanos spared Turner’s job last season after San Diego won three of their last four games, including the season finale against the Raiders. A win on Sunday would duplicate that mark. It’s believed to be a foregone conclusion that Turner will be fired at the end of the season. But open doors of communication could signify Turner has an outside chance of yet again retaining his job with a win.

Connections: Norv Turner is a native of Martinez, Calif., where he grew up attending Raiders games and spent the 2004-05 season as the Raiders head coach. Turner and Raiders QB Carson Palmer are next-door neighbors in Del Mar, Calif.

Stat you should know: Rivers has faced the Raiders 12 times during his career, going 10-3 while completing 229 of 381 passes (.601) for 2,953 yards with 18 TDs and nine INTs.

Record watch: Rivers has passed for 3,455 yards and needs only 45 yards to become the first Chargers QB with five-straight seasons of 3,500-or-more passing yards.

Prediction: Chargers 24, Raiders 10

Follow the Chargers and Dan McLellan on Twitter @CBSChargers and @sandiegosports.