Raiders set records against hapless Chargers; Dodgers land another star

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⚾ Good morning to everyone but especially ...

TYLER GLASNOW AND THE LOS ANGELES DODGERS

On the same day they officially introduced perhaps the greatest free agent ever in Shohei Ohtani, the Dodgers acquired perhaps the best player on the trade block this offseason. Tyler Glasnow is headed to Los Angeles as part of a four-player deal. Here are the details:

Dodgers get: RHP Tyler Glasnow, OF Manuel Margot, $4 million
Rays get: RHP Ryan Pepiot, OF Jonny Deluca

Glasnow, 30, has battled injuries but can absolutely deal. Since 2019, he has a 3.03 ERA, and his 12.50 strikeouts per nine innings is third among all players with at least 300 innings, trailing only Spencer Strider and Jacob deGrom. The Dodgers have a strong recent history with veteran pitcher acquisitions, and Glasnow could be the best of the bunch. As such, the Dodgers received an "A" in R.J. Anderson's trade grades.

😄 Honorable mentions

The Clippers' James Harden reached the 25,000-point club, becoming only the 24th NBA player to do it.
Aidan Chiles -- the No. 1 quarterback in the transfer portal -- is following Jonathan Smith to Michigan State.
Nearly 20 years after leaving Miami, Frank Gore got his degree.
Moving up from the practice squad, Joe Flacco got a one-year deal with the Browns.
The Rangers signed Tyler Mahle.
The Tigers signed Jack Flaherty.
Audric Estime declared for the NFL Draft.
Larry Doby was posthumously honored with a Congressional Gold Medal.

😮 And not such a good morning for ...

BRANDON STALEY AND THE LOS ANGELES CHARGERS

On Tuesday, I wrote that the Chargers' season was over for all intents and purposes in the wake of Justin Herbert's season-ending injury.

On Thursday, the Chargers themselves took that to heart. The Raiders absolutely obliterated a hapless, lifeless Chargers "team" 63-21 in one of the most damning performances by an entire organization -- players, staff, front office -- I've ever seen.

One week after being shutout by the Vikings, Las Vegas looked like The Greatest Show on Turf 2.0. It was 42-0 at halftime, tying the second-largest halftime lead in NFL history.
The 63 points overall are a Raiders record. Nine Raiders recorded at least one offensive touch; eight scored a touchdown, the most in a game since the 1950 Rams. Here are all of the crazy numbers.
Yes, it was scorigami.
Aidan O'Connell threw four first-half touchdowns. He entered the game with four career passing touchdowns. Tre Tucker -- he of zero career touchdowns prior -- caught two of the four scores.
The Chargers kept getting absolutely clowned in the second half. Jakobi Meyers threw a touchdown to Davante Adams to join Hall-of-Famer Marcus Allen as the only Raiders with receiving and passing touchdowns in the same game.
Easton Stick, making his first career start, lost three fumbles. The final one was scooped up and scored by 327-pound defensive lineman John Jenkins. Stick also threw a pick six to Jack Jones. Stick being the backup on a Super Bowl-aspiring team is yet another indictment of the Chargers organization.

The Chargers hardly looked like an NFL franchise. Raiders receivers ran wide open all night against an awful secondary. The offense was lifeless. I get that it's mid-December football, but these teams were both 5-8 at kickoff and in similar spots in that reserve quarterbacks were at the helm, other key players were out, and both clubs were outside of the playoff picture ... but even Brandon Staley admitted by halftime that his team was only playing for pride. The Chargers did not even come close to delivering on that.

Finally, that brings us to Staley, a battered-down coach in charge of a team with no interest in trying -- a true lame duck. "I didn't do anything well enough to get us ready to play tonight," Staley said after the game. He should take the blame. The players should take the blame. The front office should take the blame. They're all complicit. The Chargers are a disaster.

😕 Not so honorable mentions

C.J. Stroud (concussion protocol) still hasn't practiced this week.
Is there stadium trouble brewing for the Rays?
Our men's college basketball experts discussed the most disappointing teams this season.

🏈 NFL Week 15 picks

For the first time since Week 8, all 32 teams are in action this week. Chargers-Raiders may not have been the most enticing way to open it, but with games Saturday, Sunday and Monday, Week 15 picks up quickly.

All three Saturday games have playoff implications, but I'm most excited for Broncos-Lions. Everyone fawned over Detroit's 8-2 start and bashed Denver's 1-5 start. Russell Wilson was officially cooked. Sean Payton couldn't turn it around. But now Wilson is cooking, and Payton has turned it around. Denver is one of six 7-6 teams in the AFC in an incredibly crowded playoff race. The Lions, meanwhile, have lost two of three and are coming off a blowout loss to the Bears. The defense is reeling and the offense keeps turning it over. Will those trends continue? John Breech says ...

Breech: "Although the Lions have a much better record than Denver, I'm a 'what have you done for me, lately' guy and the Broncos have done way more for me, lately. Since the start of Week 7, the Broncos have gone 6-1 and their defense has been one of the best in the NFL over that span. They have a +11 turnover margin over the past eight weeks and they're only surrendering 15.6 points per game, and both those numbers rank in the top-two in the NFL over that span. The pick: Broncos 23-20 over Lions"

That Saturday nightcap gives way to a Sunday full of great matchups, but Cowboys-Bills stands head-and-shoulders above the rest. The Cowboys -- unstoppable at home -- want to keep pace with the Eagles and 49ers for best record in the NFC. But going to Buffalo to face a Bills team fighting for its playoff life is no easy task. Pete Prisco says ...

Prisco: "Both offenses have had success lately, but the Cowboys have really amped it up. I think the Bills' desperation will trump the Cowboys playing for a seed. Dallas is in, but Buffalo will get there. They start by winning a shootout here. Josh Allen beats Dak Prescott. Pick: Bills 33, Cowboys 30"

Here are our full expert picks:

Pete Prisco | Will Brinson | John Breech | Jordan Dajani | Tyler Sullivan

🏈 Who will sign top 2024 recruiting class?

As bowl season gets underway this weekend, there will be plenty of battles on the recruiting trail, too. National Signing Day is Wednesday, and as Brandon Huffman details, the race for 2024's No. 1 class is incredibly close. Georgia leads the way, but Ohio State, Florida State and Alabama aren't far behind. Brandon explains how the Buckeyes could overtake the Bulldogs.

Huffman: "The Buckeyes have a commitment from the No. 1 overall player in the 2024 class, wide receiver Jeremiah Smith. Florida State hasn't stopped recruiting him, however, and neither has Miami as both try to keep him in-state. But if the Buckeyes want to move past Georgia, it's imperative they keep Smith in the fold. They're also trying to flip four-star DL Amaris Williams from Florida. Edge rusher Eddrick Houston and wide receiver Mylan Graham are two more five-star prospects for the Buckeyes that have them in striking range of Georgia."

📺 What we're watching this weekend

Friday

🏀 Lakers at Spurs, 7:30 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 Knicks at Suns, 10 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 No. 5 UConn at No. 10 Gonzaga, 10 p.m. on ESPN2

Saturday

🏈 Bowl season is here! There are seven games on Saturday.
🏀 No. 18 Louisville at No. 17 UConn, noon on FOX
🏀 No. 2 Kansas at Indiana (M), 12:30 on CBS
🏈 Vikings at Bengals, 1 p.m. on NFL Network
🏀 No. 6 Baylor at Michigan State (M), 2 p.m. on Fox
🏀 Texas A&M at No. 4 Houston (M), 2:30 p.m. on ESPN2
🏈 Steelers at Colts, 4:30 p.m. on NFL Network
🏀 No. 9 North Carolina vs. No. 14 Kentucky (M), 5:30 p.m. on CBS
🏀 Hawks at Cavaliers, 7:30 p.m. on NBA TV
🏀 Alabama at No. 8 Creighton (M), 8 p.m. on Fox
🏈 Broncos at Lions, 8:15 p.m. on NFL Network
🏀 Jazz at Kings, 10 p.m. on NBA TV

Sunday

🏈 Buccaneers at Packers, 1 p.m. on CBS
🏈 Jets at Dolphins, 1 p.m. on CBS
🏈 Chiefs at Patriots, 1 p.m. on Fox
🏈 49ers at Cardinals, 4:05 p.m. on CBS
🏈 Cowboys at Bills, 4:25 p.m. on Fox
🏈 Ravens at Jaguars, 8:20 p.m. on NBC