Raiders at Chargers: Key matchups Las Vegas must win in 2022 Week 1
By Preston Seyl
Las Vegas Raiders will battle it out against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 1, and here are some key matchups they need to win to move to 1-0.
The time has come for the Las Vegas Raiders to kick off their 2022 regular season, and they will do so against division rival Los Angeles on Sunday afternoon. Both the Raiders and Chargers are looking to dethrone the Kansas City Chiefs atop the AFC West, and this will be the first of two battles during the regular season.
Here, we look at some key matchups the Raiders must win on Sunday afternoon.
Raiders at Chargers: Key matchups Las Vegas must win in 2022 Week 1
Matchup No. 1: Raiders O-Line V Chargers Pass Rush
The Raiders offensive line will have a stiff test coming right out of the gate with the Chargers new duo in Khalil Mack and Joey Bosa. With the cut of Alex Leatherwood, the right tackle position seems to be Jermaine Eluemunor’s job to lose as the rest of the line is set to go for Week 1.
Kolton Miller at left tackle will be up for the task, as he’s coming off a stellar year and is looking to build off a great offseason.
Josh McDaniels and the rest of the offensive staff will be able to see where their offensive line is in terms of progression against this tough Chargers pass rush. Double teams will be in order to stop the combination of Mack and Bosa, so we will see early on how much this young offensive line can handle..
The offensive line should dominate the running game, as that is where the Chargers weakness is, although they tried to fix their issues this offseason. Protecting Derek Carr and keeping his upright will be paramount for Las Vegas in Week 1, especially with so many new weapons for him to exploit the Chargers defense with.