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Oakland Raiders: 5 matchups to watch vs. Los Angeles Chargers

By John Buhler

DENVER, CO - OCTOBER 01: Trevor Siemian No. 13 of the Denver Broncos is chased out of the pocket by Bruce Irvin No. 51 of the Oakland Raiders at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on October 1, 2017 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
DENVER, CO - OCTOBER 01: Trevor Siemian No. 13 of the Denver Broncos is chased out of the pocket by Bruce Irvin No. 51 of the Oakland Raiders at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on October 1, 2017 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) /
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OAKLAND, CA – SEPTEMBER 17: Khalil Mack No. 52 of the Oakland Raiders sacks Josh McCown No. 15 of the New York Jets with additional pressure from Reggie Nelson No. 27 of the Oakland Raiders at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on September 17, 2017 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CA – SEPTEMBER 17: Khalil Mack No. 52 of the Oakland Raiders sacks Josh McCown No. 15 of the New York Jets with additional pressure from Reggie Nelson No. 27 of the Oakland Raiders at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on September 17, 2017 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /

Reggie Nelson vs. Philip Rivers

This matchup is an interesting one for several reasons. The first is that Philip Rivers is a future Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback. He’s exiting his prime, but we’ve seen his greatness shine through in pure chaos that is the Chargers organization for over a decade. Rivers will go down as one of the best quarterbacks to have never played in a Super Bowl.

The other part of this matchup that has our intrigue is this. Do you realize that the Raiders are one of three teams that do not have an interception on the year? The other two are the Chicago Bears and the Miami Dolphins. Keep in mind that the Dolphins have only played four games so far, as their Week 1 date with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was rescheduled to Week 11 due to Hurricane Irma.

So no picks for the Silver and Black isn’t good. One guy that could down with an errant Rivers throw is the veteran free safety Reggie Nelson. Yes, Nelson has struggled mightily this season, getting burnt like toast on multiple occasions. However, he was a Pro Bowler last year in his first season with the Raiders due to his ballhawking abilities.

Oakland’s defense isn’t doing a good enough of a job to keep a strong passing offense like the Chargers out of the end zone all afternoon. Look for Nelson to be the guy that steps up with a well-timed interception of Rivers. Oakland has to win the turnover battle to win the game. Let’s get some picks!

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