The Los Angeles Chargers are coming off a huge upset victory against the Kansas City Chiefs. With vibes at an all-time high, it is important for the Chargers not to get overzealous for their Week 2 matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders.
With such a deep rivalry between the two teams being showcased on primetime television, there are a plethora of matchups to really keep an eye on.
The Best and Worst Matchup for The Chargers Week 2 Matchup
Best Matchup: Chargers Passing Attack Vs Raiders Secondary
Justin Herbert and the Chargers Week 1 matchup was extremely confidence-inspiring for the entire passing offense, as questions regarding pass protection and receiver separation were quickly being squandered with each offensive drive.
Chargers receiver stats going into Week 2:
-
Keenan Allen: 7 catches, 68 yards, 1 touchdown
-
Ladd McConkey: 6 catches, 74 yards
-
Quentin Johnston: 5 catches, 79 yards, 2 touchdowns
-
Tyler Conklin: 2 catches, 50 yards
-
Omarion Hampton: 2 catches, 13 yards
-
Will Dissly: 1 catch, 18 yards
-
Tre Harris: 1 catch, 11 yards
-
Najee Harris: 1 catch, 5 yards
Simply put, a strong passing attack with a variety of pass catchers matching up with a Raiders defense that currently ranks 27th in passing defense in Week 2 is likely the Chargers biggest matchup to exploit.
Ranking 27th after playing a young Patriots team is not a great first impression one can have on an NFL season. However, it only has been one game, with plenty of time left in the season for this Raiders DB room to prove the general media wrong.
Speaking of this Raiders DB room, it consists of a cast of misfit characters; Guys who are on low-end second contracts or undrafted players.
Raiders Projected Starters For Chargers Week 2 Matchup:
-
CB1: Eric Stokes
-
CB2: Kyu Blu Kelly
-
CB3/Nickel: Darnay Holmes
-
SS: Jeremy Chinn
-
FS: Isaiah Pola-Mao
A strong Chargers passing game going against a questionable secondary is a recipe for a convincing victory. If the Chargers cannot continue their passing success into Week 2 of the NFL season, something went drastically wrong.
Worst Matchup: Raiders TEs vs Hurt Chargers LB Room
The Chargers defense held up well against the Patrick Mahomes-led Chiefs offense, but they must step up further to handle the Raiders tight end room. The Raiders are finally using their 2o23 second-round draft pick, Michael Mayer, in their offense, as he actually played more snaps than their 2024 first-round selection, Brock Bowers.
With both Mayer and Bowers on the field, the Raiders 12 personnel offense is quite potent. Mayer was the top TE of his class by most draft analysts and has flashed those traits in his seasons as a Raider, and Bowers was arguably the best Tight End in the league as a rookie. Bowers went for 103 yards while Mayer went for 38 yards in Week 1 against the Patriots.
Furthermore, in Week 2 against the Chargers, both of these talented Tight Ends find themselves a very favorable matchup against a weakened Chargers LB room.
Junior Colson is out for the season, Denzel Perryman was injured early in Week 1 and is likely to miss time, and Special Teams Ace/Depth LB Del’Shawn Phillips was also noted as out for Thursday’s practice ahead of the Week 2 Chargers vs. Raiders matchup.
These injuries are leaving the Chargers with a weak LB depth Chart consisting of Daiyan Henley, Troy Dye, Marlowe Wax, and likely Kana’i Muaga as a practice squad elevation for special teams purposes. Outside of Henley, majority of these LBs are unproven and have a major matchup ahead of them in Week 2 vs the Raiders Tight Ends.
Overall, if the Raiders were to come out victorious, it would likely go through their Tight Ends. The Chargers better hope for the best out of Dye and Wax in multi-LB personnel groupings.
Main Photo: [Amanda Perobelli] – Imagn Images
The post The Best and Worst Matchup For The Chargers Week 2 Matchup appeared first on Last Word on Pro Football.