Las Vegas Raiders at Los Angeles Chargers: 3 Raiders to watch

Las Vegas Raiders at Los Angeles Chargers: 3 Raiders to watch

Alex Leatherwood

When you are a rookie offensive tackle, you usually are not expected to perform at such a high-level right of the bat, even if you are a first-round pick. The best Raiders offensive lineman in Kolton Miller can attest to that, as he led the league in allowed sacks as a rookie in 2018.

Alex Leatherwood has not fared much better than Miller in his rookie season, constantly getting beat and penalty flags called his way becoming normality. The rookie tackle out of Alabama will now face possibly his toughest task yet in trying to stop Pro Bowl linebacker Joey Bosa.

Leatherwood will surely get some much-needed help with double teams in trying to stop the pass-rushing specialist, but the tall task is mainly on his mountainous shoulders. This matchup should be watched with a careful eye, with only three professional games to his name, it is a bit early to pass judgment on Leatherwood, but the rookie will need to grow up in a hurry with such a tough matchup on the cards.

Las Vegas Raiders: Maxx Crosby becomes the leader of the defense

The Las Vegas Raiders have a budding superstar in Maxx Crosby, who has become the vocal leader on the defensive side of the ball.

This could be the deciding factor in a Raiders victory if Leatherwood can X-out the pass rushing of Bosa. This could either be the downfall of the Raiders in this matchup, or the rise of Leatherwood, but either way it goes, this is a tantalizing matchup that must be watched.