Facing the worst team in the NFL can make a team feel pretty good about themselves. But now the Raiders head to LA to face a very talented Chargers squad. Even coming off a brutal loss to the Cardinals in the opener, the Chargers could bounce back. And the Raiders have plenty to be concerned about.
1. Chargers edge rush duo
The Raiders tackles had a great game against one of the worst pass rushing teams in the league to start the season. Now they will face a much better duo across the line.
Tuli Tuipulotu has 21.5 sacks over the past two seasons and is coming off a Pro Bowl year. He had three QB hits in the Chargers’ opener.
On the other side is Khalil Mack. The now 35-year-old is a couple seasons removed from his elite years, but he always seems to have his best games
against the team that drafted him. His top two sack performances since being traded away came against the Raiders.
2. Kirk Cousins interceptions
While Cousins gets a lot of credit for the way he ran the Raiders offense in the season opener, along with his three touchdown passes, his two interceptions were brutal. Especially when you consider how little pressure he was seeing. The first interception set up the Dolphins' only touchdown of the game. He got away with the second one because the Raiders defense stepped up to stop the Dolphins on their ensuing possession. He will have to take much better care of the ball against the Chargers because their offense is far more capable of taking advantage of extra opportunities.
3. Chargers Pro Bowl offensive tackles are healthy
Rashawn Slater was out all of last season and the Charger had Joe Alt for just six games. Both are healthy, giving the Chargers two actual starting caliber tackles. They combined to allow just two pressures in the season opener, which means the Raiders are less likely to be able to tee off the way they did against the Dolphins, leaving their DBs to have to cover for longer.
This article originally appeared on Raiders Wire: 3 causes for concern for Raiders Week 2 vs Chargers
