CHARGERS (0-1) vs. RAIDERS (1-0)
When: 1:05 p.m. Sunday
Where: SoFi Stadium
TV/Radio: Ch. 2; 640 AM/103.9/89.3 FM (Spanish)
Line: Chargers by 6½
Notable injury designations
Chargers: OUT: S Elijah Molden (hamstring), OL Trey Pipkins III (knee); QUESTIONABLE: CB Deane Leonard (abdomen), WR Ladd McConkey (rib).
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Raiders: OUT: CB Darien Porter (foot); DOUBTFUL: TE Brock Bowers (knee); QUESTIONABLE: QB Aidan O’Connell (personal).
What’s at stake: The Chargers’ season could be at stake if they don’t play a crisper, cleaner game against the Raiders than they did in their season-opening loss to the Arizona Cardinals. A loss to the Raiders would drop the Chargers to 0-2 with games against NFL elites in the coming weeks. After hosting the Raiders, the Chargers hit the road to play the Buffalo Bills and then the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks. They return home to play the AFC West champion Denver Broncos in Week 5 before facing the Chiefs in Week 6 in Kansas City. At that point, the Chargers’ bye week couldn’t come soon enough.
Who’s better: Last week, the Chargers looked like the better team on paper until the Cardinals outplayed and outmaneuvered them in every way possible. The same might happen this week against the Raiders, too. The Chargers have better players at almost every position, including quarterback in the form of Justin Herbert. But there’s no guarantee Raiders quarterback Kirk Cousins won’t slice and dice them the way he did in throwing for three touchdowns in Las Vegas’ victory last week over the Miami Dolphins, topping 300 TD passes for his NFL career.
Matchup to watch: Can the Chargers block well enough against Maxx Crosby and the Raiders to ensure Herbert has time to throw and Omarion Hampton has room to run? Herbert was sacked three times in Week 1, but he seemed flustered at times, which has been a concerning development when he’s under pressure in recent seasons. Hampton had several good runs in Week 1, but ultimately, as the Chargers fell behind, they turned to the pass and away from the run.
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Chargers win if: Offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel has preached conviction over perfection since his hiring in January. In light of the Chargers’ sloppy fourth-quarter showing against the Cardinals, maybe he should turn around that phrase. The Chargers could use a little more perfection when facing the Raiders or any other hungry team looking to feast on the Chargers’ mistakes. Herbert threw one interception and Hampton fumbled once against Arizona. The Chargers were penalized seven times for 64 yards, including false starts on back-to-back snaps in the fourth quarter. A repeat performance would be like handing over the game to the Raiders on a silver platter. Cleaning up their act must be the Chargers’ No. 1 priority.
Fantasy sleeper: Coach Jim Harbaugh decided against giving Cameron Dicker a chance at a chip-shot field goal in the closing moments of the first half against Arizona, and Dicker wasn’t called upon to try a field goal at all in Week 1. Strange, right? He is, after all, the most accurate field-goal kicker in NFL history with a 93.5% success rate (minimum of 100 attempts). Look for the Chargers to get Dicker on the field more often if their drives stall in Week 2.
Prediction: Again, it’s difficult to pick against the Chargers, especially with the oddsmakers making them touchdown favorites over the Raiders. And again, the Chargers appear to have the better, deeper and more experienced team. Realistically, there’s nowhere for them to go but up after laying an egg in their Week 1 loss to the Cardinals. Chargers 30, Raiders 24.
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