Raiders: Known issues creep up in loss to the Chargers
By Brad Weiss
The Las Vegas Raiders lost a tough one on the road in Week 1, as known issues reared their ugly heads throughout the 24-19 loss.
Through all the madness of the Las Vegas Raiders Week 1 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, the team was still in a position to win late in the game. The Silver and Black got their 2022 season started on the wrong foot, losing to their division rival by the score of 24-19, but all is not lost.
There were some bright spots, including new wide receiver Davante Adams, who had more production in his debut with the Raiders than his former team, the Green Bay Packers, got from their entire wide receiver group. We also saw Nate Hobbs continue to be an absolute monster in coverage, and Johnathan Abram may have had his best game as a member of the franchise.
Then there was the bad, and throughout the game on Sunday, it was clear that the known issues for the Raiders were not going to go away just because the calendar moved to September. In fact, it was a glaring example of why Las Vegas needs to address the talent they have in the trenches on both sides of the ball.
Raiders must address both of their lines
All offseason, we have discussed that the Raiders did not do enough along the offensive line, and that reared its ugly head in this one. The Silver and Black tried to use both Jermaine Eluemunor and Thayer Munford at right tackle, and neither showed that they could get the job done.
Carr was under duress for most of the game, and while he certainly held the ball way too long on a few occasions, playing under that type of pressure will eventually get to you. That resulted in him throwing three interceptions against the Chargers, and with an offense like Los Angeles has, you cannot give them more opportunities.
Along the defensive line, the depth at defensive tackle is an issue, and the Raiders may want to dip into the free agency pool to address that area as well. There are some talented players still looking for work, so maybe use some of their cap space to bring in some veterans who can help in both areas.
The Raiders outplayed the Chargers in the second half, as the defense really stepped up and held the Bolts to only seven points through the final two frames. There was a lot of good to take out of this game, and there should be momentum going into the Arizona contest in Week 2, but changes should be coming along the offensive line, at least.