The Raiders are looking for a big win tonight vs the Chargers, and the biggest tests will come in the trenches. The Raiders are young on both sides of the ball when it comes to the trenches, and that youth will need to step up, especially on offense. Las Vegas will be without guard Jackson Powers-Johnson and veteran Alex Cappa will step up into his place. Week 1 was not the best for the Raiders offensive line, seeing limited push in the run game and struggling at times to contain the Patriots blitz/stunt
packages. Defensively, the defensive line got off to a sluggish start but was able to rally quickly to finish the game with 4 sacks and a strong second half against the run as well. Meanwhile, the Chargers offensive line also struggled vs the Kansas City Chiefs seeing Omarion Hampton average just 3.2 ypc on 15 attempts. In pass protection, the Chargers did well allowing just 12 pressures and 0 sacks. with three players ending the game with a 80 PBLK grade or higher.
Offensive Line:
The Raiders offensive line is going to be in for another tough test, the Chargers held Chiefs runningbacks to under 3 yards per carry and currently rank 4th against the run in terms of EPA and 5th in DVOA. The Chargers deploy a ton of defensive talent headlined by Tuli Tuipulotu and Khalil Mack at EDGE along with Da’Shawn Hand, Teair Tart, and Otito Ogbonnia on the interior. However, the Chargers also have solid depth with Bud Dupree, Caleb Murphy, Jamaree Caldwell, and Justin Eboigbe providing quality depth up front. The Chargers posted 19 pressures and 2 sacks vs the Chiefs, along with an average win rate of 11% up front. Overall, the Chargers pass rush was rather lackluster but Kansas City also deploys one of the best offensive lines in the NFL.
The Raiders allowed 14 pressures and 4 sacks vs New England, but just one sack was credited to the OL (Jackson Powers-Johnson). The Raiders saw 2nd year tackle DJ Glaze struggle allowing 4 pressures and 2 hits, while guard Dylan Parham also struggled allowing 2 hits and 3 pressures. Center Jordan Meredith and left tackle Kolton Miller were lights out in the pass game allowing just 3 pressures total. In the run game, Glaze and Meredith looked best but the rest of the unit did struggle. The Raiders offensive line needs to sore up their communication and figure out how to defeat stunts and twists otherwise Jesse Minter and the Chargers defense could have a night wreaking havoc against Geno Smith. The key will come down to DJ Glaze’s ability to contain Khalil Mack, if he’s able to it’ll make the rest of the offensive line’s 1 on 1 matchup easier, if not there’s going to be a lot of 6 man fronts with an extra TE that could limit the Raiders offensive attack in the pass game. Expect to see 5 OL and a TE in the run game frequently however.
Defensive Line:
As mentioned, the Chargers OL played nearly lights out vs the Chiefs, who display a tough pass rush. While they allowed 12 pressures as a unit, Joe Alt and Mekhi Becton allowed 0 each with 7 coming from RT Trey Pipkins and C Bradley Bozeman. The Raiders pressured Drake Maye and the Patriots 27 times, which was among the most in week 1 for any team. Maxx Crosby led the way with 7, and should have a strong performance against Pipkins, someone he’s recorded 21 pressures and 4.5 sacks on in his career. The Raiders will be relying on their defensive tackle rotation of Thomas Booker (5 pressures vs NE), Adam Butler (5), and Jonah Laulu (2) along with possible appearances from rookies Tonka Hemingway and JJ Pegues to get push on the Chargers center and left guard who struggled vs Kansas City. Additionally, the Raiders run defense started slow vs NE but was able to finish the game ranked 7th in EPA, vs the Chargers 27th ranking as an offense something that should favor into Las Vegas’ favor come Monday night.
The biggest test for the defensive line comes with 5th year Malcolm Koonce and 3rd year Tyree Wilson, both of which will be tasked with rushing opposite of Crosby against standout left tackle Joe Alt. The Raiders should see success from Crosby and Booker/Butler but with Alt’s ability to shut down the left side it could leave issue for the front to effect Herbert’s ability to drift away from sacks. Look for the Raiders to deploy stunts with Koonce and Wilson/Booker to try and attack at Alt and left guard Zion Johnson’s communication.
