Allegiant Stadium, 4:25 p.m. Eastern on Fox. Two franchises that both called Los Angeles home at the same time, now meeting in the desert with matching problems. The Rams have lost three of four. The Raiders have lost three straight. Diane Kerr knows every branch of Sean McVay's coaching tree. Vic Moreno speaks for the Raiders, and he's a realist about rivalries, records and everything else.
Vic: Diane, welcome to Las Vegas. Fun fact: we won a Super Bowl as the Los Angeles Raiders. Super Bowl XVIII. We've been in your city, we've won in your city, and now we live in a shiny building in the desert.
Diane: We won one in St. Louis and one at SoFi, which is the best stadium in the league. We've seen a few places too.
Vic: A lot of cities between us, and neither one of us has been winning at home lately.
Diane: That's the realest thing you've ever said.
Vic: I'm a realist, Diane. It's in the job description.
Diane: Then be realistic about Sunday, and bring tissues.
Last week, Rams: Los Angeles lost 18-16 at home to Arizona on Chad Ryland's sixth field goal as time expired. The Rams came in with the NFL's most productive offense and struggled all day. Kicker Blake Grupe hurt his knee making a tackle in the first quarter, and punter Ethan Evans made his first career extra point to give the Rams the lead before Arizona answered.
Diane: Here's the McVay family tree part that stings. Arizona's coach, Mike LaFleur, was McVay's offensive coordinator for three seasons. The student beat the teacher. McVay said afterward it starts with him. That's how you know he's taking it personally.
Last week, Raiders: Against Buffalo, the Raiders rallied to tie it at 23, then fell behind on James Cook's late touchdown. But Las Vegas scored touchdowns on only two of five red-zone trips, including a second-and-goal from the 1 that came up empty.
Vic: Klint Kubiak called the red-zone work unacceptable and pinned it on himself. I agree with the first part. The second part, we'll see. And our fans deserve a team that finishes. That's a realist talking.
The matchup: The Rams run for 4.8 yards a carry, and the Raiders allow 5.1, so Kyren Williams and Corum should be busy. Las Vegas runs for just 3.3, and Ashton Jeanty had 22 yards on 10 carries last week. That puts it on Cousins, Bowers, Mayer and Tucker against Kam Curl and a Rams secondary that played without Trent McDuffie (groin) last week. Maxx Crosby against the Rams' tackles is the matchup to watch on the other side, and the Rams have a familiar face back in the middle: Aaron Donald came out of retirement this season.
The numbers: The Rams have scored 135 and allowed 138. The Raiders have scored 162 and allowed 162. That's a perfectly even season, which Vic says is the most Raiders thing he's ever seen.
Diane: Last thing, Vic. Our stadium is hosting the next Super Bowl.
Vic: Our stadium hosted one already, and the building is black and silver like a proper Raiders home.
Diane: It looks like a giant black spaceship.
Vic: It looks like the future, Diane. The future is just losing a lot right now.
Two proud franchises, two offenses that can score, and one team that gets to stop the bleeding on Sunday.
My call: Rams 29, Raiders 20.