Countdown to Paydirt: Oakland Raiders vs. San Diego Chargers
The Oakland Raiders (2-5) will try to pull off an upset on Sunday and avoid a 13th straight loss at the hands of the San Diego Chargers (3-3) before they hit the bye week. It will be the 100th meeting between both clubs, with the Silver & Black holding a 54-43-2 advantage since they began play in 1960. Both teams faced in the season opener and San Diego pulled off a 24-20 victory with a late rally on Monday Night Football.
OAKLAND RAIDERS
On Offense:
Some things have changed; others have not for Oakland since their last meeting with the Chargers. The Silver & Black ran for 148-yards that evening while manhandling the front-seven of the San Diego defense. Oakland has not been able to duplicate that feat since, as the offensive line has gone through some changes and Justin Fargas is now the starting rusher.
Robert Gallery will not return until after the bye week, Darren McFadden may begin to start running next week and Chaz Schilens, who missed practice on Thursday, is listed as doubtful and not likely to play, making his new target date for seeing action in two weeks.
Oakland’s best receiver in 2009 has been Louis Murphy. And against the Chargers, the rookie had 4-catches for 87-yards and a score. But he couldn’t finish practice on Thursday with a sore hip and he won’t be at full strength for Sunday when he plays.
What to Expect:
San Diego has allowed 137.7 rushing yards per game (28th in the NFL) so far in 2009. But can Oakland mimic their performance from week-one when they ran the ball down the Chargers’ throats? Tom Cable will go with Mario Henderson (LT), Chris Morris (LG), Samson Satele (C), Cooper Carlisle (RG) and Khalif Barnes (RT) for a second straight week. That group will not intimidate the Chargers nor will they push around a defense that is steadily improving. Fargas is tough and will grind out yardage, but it won’t be enough to carry an offense that ranks last in the NFL in total yards per game and last in passing productivity.
On Defense:
After allowing 316 rushing yards to the Jets, the Chargers will try to take advantage of a Raider run defense that is currently allowing 169.7 ground yards per game. “Just keep your butt in that chair, and everything will be fine,” stated Tom Cable, explaining that his defensive has not been disciplined in their responsibilities. “It’s up to each man to do that, and we didn’t do a very good job of it.”
“It is such a basic thing and, obviously, we need to do a better job in practice,” commented defensive lineman Richard Seymour. “Maybe we make practice live (tackling).”
In the season opener, Oakland held the Chargers to 77 yards rushing (21 in the first half), with physical play, disciplined gap control and linebackers and safeties that jolted through San Diego’s blocking schemes.
What to Expect:
San Diego is ranked 31st in the league rushing the football. But they have a player known to have career games against the Silver & Black and a shifty rusher that can add to the tackling woes of the lackluster defense. The Raiders need to keep that San Diego tandem at running back controlled. If not, it will be another blowout defeat.
SAN DIEGO CHARGERS
On Offense:
The Chargers have had a tough time running the football. But the cure for their running woes may be the Silver & Black. LaDainian Tomlinson has made a career of torturing the Raiders and is a week removed from having his best outing of the season, when he tallied season high 23-carries for 71-yards against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Meanwhile, the San Diego passing attack is one of the best in the league. Led by Philip Rivers (1,787 passing yards, 59.2 completion %, 96.1 QB rating, 10 TD and only 3 INT), the Chargers are moving the ball at will via the pass and have a wide array of targets to his disposal.
Vincent Jackson (29 rec. 561 yards 4 TD), Antonio Gates (34 rec. 474 yards 2 TD), Darren Sproles (19 rec. 259 yards 2 TD) and Malcom Floyd (9 rec. 187 yards 1 TD) can all break games open along with veteran Chris Chambers.
What to Expect:
San Diego will get their 100+-yards against the Raiders on the ground. But they’ll also mix it up and take advantage of Chris Johnson’s struggles. The Raider cornerback gives up a lot of big plays and has been the weak link in the secondary. The safeties also can be exposed, and when you have one of the best tight ends in the league, its safe to say that getting targets open in the secondary will be an easy task for the Chargers.
On Defense:
San Diego ranks 21st in points allowed per game (23.8), 28th in rushing yards allowed (137.7) and 11th in passing yards allowed per contest (194.7).
The secondary has been re-shuffled in recent weeks and after a solid performance against the Chiefs, defensive coordinator Ron Rivera seems to be happy in the direction they are going. “I think it is a little more physical than it used to be,” Rivera said of the defensive backfield. “There’s a different presence when you have a physical safety. Kevin Ellison is an aggressive, physical guy who brings something extra to what we want to do defensively.”
And what’s the key the rest of the year for this unit?
“Pressure on the quarterback,” cornerback Quentin Jammer said. “We’ve always been a pressure team, and getting back to that has allowed us to play better as a secondary. We got pressure last week and covered well. One game doesn’t mean much on its own, but it is something to build on.”
What to Expect:
The Chargers have looked at what the Jets did to the Raiders and will try to bring the heat with their front-seven. There is no fear of the inaccurate JaMarcus Russell hitting his un-productive targets. So letting Shaun Phillips run wild (2-sacks last week) and un-leashing Shawne Merriman will be on the agenda for the Chargers.
GAME NOTES
- “We know we let one slip away the first game and we don’t want that to happen again,” Zach Miller said of their Monday night match-up week-one “I think we were so physical up front, we were able to get the push on the offensive line and open up holes and then that opened up the play-action game. Once we were hitting the play-action they were complementing each other really well. I think that was a key part.”
- Phillips has 9.5 career sacks versus Oakland.
- Shane Lechler’s 45.0 net punting average is way above his NFL record for a season (41.2). His 52.2 average is currently higher than the league record for a year set in 1940 by Sammy Baugh (51.4)
KEY MATCH-UPS
Which team is able to run the football more consistently?
If the Raiders can, they’ll stay in this game. If they can’t, it will be another blowout defeat. San Diego may not need a strong ground game to win this contest. But if they rush for over 100-yards, chances are, this won’t be a close game going into the 4th quarter.
Michael Huff and Tyvon Branch vs. Gates
The San Diego offense is at its best when they have the best tight end in the league producing at a high level. Oakland has athletes that can stay with him, but can they slow him down enough to ground a powerful aerial attack?
Which unit is Special?
Sproles can be a dynamic return man. Oakland has missed all the productivity that Johnnie Lee Higgins provided last season. Which one can give their respective team great field position, or points off returns?
PREDICTION
Chargers 27 – Raiders 10
TV & RADIO
The game will be televised on CBS with Dick Enberg providing play-by-play and former NFL player and Pro Football Hall of Famer Dan Fouts handling color analysis. The game will air in the Bay Area on KPIX Channel 5. The game will also air in Sacramento on KOVR Channel 13 as well as on KHSL in Chico, KION in Monterey and KJEO in Fresno. The game will air on Raiders Radio originating on KSFO 560 AM, the Silver and Black’s Flagship for the multi-state Radio Network. Greg Papa and former Raiders player, assistant and head coach Tom Flores will man the booth for the 12th straight year. The radio pregame show and postgame show will feature Raider Legends George Atkinson and David Humm along with KSFO’s Rich Walcoff. (Broadcast information cited from the official Oakland Raiders web site)
GAME INFO
Sunday, November 1, 2009, 1:05 p.m. PT | Qualcomm Stadium, SD, CA
Road Team: Oakland Raiders (2-5) Home: 1-3 Road: 1-2
Home Team: San Diego Chargers (3-3) Home: 1-2 Road: 2-1
Point Spread: Oakland 16 point underdogs
Contact Author: Victor Cotto – SB Report Columnist
