The Chargers will look to get back to .500 against the Raiders in their first divisional game of the season before their bye week.
Getting back to 2-2 after their start would certainly cool much of the dialogue that existed in the first two weeks. A win would also provide several Bolts dealing with injuries to rest up for a huge primetime game against the Cowboys in Week 6.
Buy Chargers TicketsWhat do the Chargers have to do to get back to .500?
Communication in the secondary has to be clear (and concise)
The aforementioned James is unlikely to play in this one after injuring his hamstring against Minnesota. Safety JT Woods has already been declared out for this game Meanwhile, Alohi Gilman is questionable.
Brandon Staley said on Friday that cornerback J.C. Jackson will be active on Sunday after being a healthy scratch against Minnesota last week. Relative to the lineup that was rolled out last week, the Chargers will once again shift and move their rotations around.
There’s not much to say at the secondary that hasn’t been said already. The Chargers allow explosive passing plays at an alarming rate in every game and they’re dead last in passing yards per game allowed.
Even though the Raiders will roll out either Brian Hoyer or rookie Aidan O’Connell, the Chargers still have to contend with wide receiver Davante Adams. Hunter Renfrow, while seldom used in this particular season, has also given Los Angeles problems in the past.
With the Chargers once against shifting pieces back in and out of the secondary group again, they have to find personnel stability at some point to be a true contender. Staley will face a tough test to get the back half of his defense right in this one.
Contain EDGE Maxx Crosby
The Raiders’ pass rush really does revolve around one player. Crosby is up to 19 pressures, two sacks, two quarterback hits, and 15 hurries on the season after a dominant performance against the Steelers last week.
However, Las Vegas is not getting the contributions they need from the rest of their line. The Raiders rank 28th in pass rush win rate through three weeks despite Crosby’s efforts.
One has to wonder how the Raiders might change up the game plan to generate pressure. Instead of keeping Crosby on the outside against Rashawn Slater or Trey Pipkins, could they stunt and move him inside on certain rushes? The loss of Corey Linsley could potentially loom large in that regard.
Pipkins and Slater will need to hold their own against Crosby on the outside. But the Chargers also need to be prepared for the Raiders to try something different this week in the utilization of their star EDGE player to generate pressures for the rest of the line too.
Continue to feed Keenan Allen
Keenan Allen will look to stay hot after his 200+ yard game against Minnesota last week. Allen is up to 402 receiving yards on the season, which is third in the league behind only Tyreek Hill and Justin Jefferson.
Nate Hobbs has been a good slot corner for the Raiders but the new outside cornerback duo of Marcus Peters and Jakorian Bennett hasn’t exactly delivered what they’ve wanted. If the Chargers plan on rotating Allen back and forth between the slot and the outside as they have been, they’ll continue to find success.
It’s also critical for Allen to get off to a good start in this game to open up opportunities for the other receivers. Mike Williams being out for the season promotes Joshua Palmer to WR2 and Quentin Johnston to WR3. Those two will need to win reps more often in the traditional three-receiver set looks.
Surviving another week without Austin Ekeler
The Chargers’ running game in their past two contests has not been what it was in the first week of the season. LA has just 91 yards on 36 rushing attempts. 2.52 yards per carry is certainly not what Kellen Moore wants to see.
There are a lot of factors that go into that of course. For example, the Vikings blitzing on what felt like every play last week is going to make the rushing numbers look worse. Still, the Chargers are getting fewer rushing yards after contact from Joshua Kelley now and his efficiency has dropped. The contributions from Elijah Dotson and Isaiah Spiller have been minimal.
Not having Austin Ekeler has significant consequences for the Chargers’ offense, whether we’re talking about rushing or pass blocking. But he’s felt most missed in terms of gravity in my opinion. Defenses no longer having to worry about Ekeler as a yards-after-the-catch/big-play threat in the receiving game has made the Chargers’ offense somewhat more one-dimensional.
Hopefully, the Bolts get better performances from Kelley and company. But more importantly, they have to find some creative ways to fill Ekeler’s production and impact in what should be their last week without him on the field.
More Tuli magic
Tuli Tuipulotu has made his presence felt in the last two games. The rookie out of USC is up to 13 pressures and five sacks on the season.
He’s been much needed for a Chargers’ team that’s been dealing with an injured Joey Bosa and a less efficient Khalil Mack from a pass-rushing standpoint. Tuipulotu has been a welcome surprise for the Bolts, but he’s also been an integral piece considering the circumstances.
No matter who is under center, Tuipulotu will need to continue bringing the heat.
