Raiders Have Resources in Matchup With Chargers

For first time in many seasons, Oakland appears to have the personnel to match up with its longtime AFC West rival

The Chargers have won six of the past seven meetings with the Raiders, but for the first time in a long time, Oakland goes into Sunday’s game in San Diego with a team that appears capable of matching up well with its longtime AFC West rival.

The Raiders, at 2-3, are coming off a bye week and should be rested and ready. The Chargers, at 2-4, will be trying to rebound from a tough 27-20 loss to the Packers in Green Bay.

Oddsmakers have made the host Chargers 4½ -point favorites, but the Raiders have some offensive and defensive weapons now that give them a good chance of pulling the upset. Can they do it? Possibly, if they can do these five things:

Establish a running game: San Diego ranks just 29th in the NFL against the run. Raiders running back Latavius Murray has had a chance to get healthy again with the bye week. Even with a couple of  low-production games, Murray is averaging 4.2 yards per carry behind a much-improved offensive line from 2014. There is hope.

Protect quarterback Derek Carr: The Chargers’ pass rush has improved from early this season. After getting one sack in the first three weeks, San Diego has 10 over the past three. If the Raiders want to put together some long drives to control the clock and the tempo of the game, they’ll need to give Carr time to throw, especially on third downs.

Touchdowns, not field goals: The Chargers, with quarterback Philip Rivers, can score. They rank No. 1 in total offense and passing offense and average 22.7 points per game. So if Oakland is to win, it will need to keep up. Fortunately for Oakland, the San Diego defense is just 26th in the NFL in scoring defense, giving up 26.8 points per game. The Raiders need to keep drives alive to produce touchdowns, not field goals, in this matchup.

Get the ball to Cooper and Crabtree: Wide receivers Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree have been terrific playmakers this season and give the Raiders their best wide receiver duo in many seasons. Cooper has 28 catches. Crabtree has 27. Plus, Cooper is especially dangerous once the ball is in his hands. He ranks No. 3 in the NFL among all wide receivers – behind only Julian Edelman of the Patriots and Julio Jones of the Falcons – in yards-after-catch, with 243.

Contain Antonio Gates: San Diego’s tight end, a future Hall of Famer, has been brilliant since returning from a four-game suspension. In two games, he has 18 catches for 187 yards and two TDs. For years, when the going gets tough, Rivers finds Gates. And, this season, the Raiders have had trouble covering opposing tight ends. This could be a very bad matchup for Oakland.

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