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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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BALTIMORE, MD – OCTOBER 2: Donald Penn No. 72 of the Oakland Raiders guards against Terrell Suggs No. 55 of the Baltimore Ravens in the fourth quarter at M&T Bank Stadium on October 2, 2016 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Larry French/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MD – OCTOBER 2: Donald Penn No. 72 of the Oakland Raiders guards against Terrell Suggs No. 55 of the Baltimore Ravens in the fourth quarter at M&T Bank Stadium on October 2, 2016 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Larry French/Getty Images) /

Donald Penn vs. Joey Bosa

As stated previously, this game between the Raiders and the Chargers will come down to turnovers and who plays better in the trenches. The best matchup to watch on Sunday is an obvious one. It’s great-on-great, as Oakland’s Pro Bowl left tackle Donald Penn will take on last year’s Defensive Rookie of the Year in Joey Bosa.

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Penn has played very well in the first five weeks of the season. He’s been solid in both pass protection and run blocking. Even though his holdout was highly publicized, it hasn’t had much of an effect on his overall level of play. Penn is not the reason the Raiders’ offense has been struggling.

Bosa hasn’t been as electrifying as he was coming down the stretch last year. Keep in mind that he too held out part of his rookie season. Bosa only played in 12 games for the 2016 Chargers. He was still a highly impactful player for the Chargers. Bosa and Melvin Ingram were huge reasons the Chargers had so much hype coming into the season.

Next: 5 Raiders to watch vs. Chargers

One has to believe that Penn will have the upper hand in this matchup. That is because he rarely surrenders sacks. However, Bosa is enough of a disruptive force to create havoc on the left side of the offensive line. Penn and left guard Kelechi Osemele need to be ready for Bosa at all times on Sunday.

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