Life has been good for Las Vegas Raiders fans on the heels of their team's fairly dominant Week 1 win over the Miami Dolphins. But the Los Angeles Chargers are next on the schedule for an AFC West showdown in Week 2, and things should only get tougher for Klint Kubiak's young squad and staff.
That said, it's not like Jim Harbaugh's group lit the world on fire on opening weekend. In fact, they struggled tremendously, melting down against the Arizona Cardinals for a 26-14 loss. From afar, it seems like the Silver and Black have another potentially winnable game on the docket this Sunday.
But to gain a better perspective of the Raiders' bitter rival, we spoke to Grant Bellchamber, an expert covering the Chargers at our sister site, Bolt Beat. He provided some valuable insight in this week's edition of Across the Bow.
Just Blog Baby Preview of Raiders-Chargers in Week 1 with Bolt Beat's Grant Bellchamber
Q: I have to start with the Chargers' overall Week 1 performance against the Cardinals. What exactly do you think went wrong on opening weekend, and what is the level of concern?
A: If I had to distill it to one word or phrase, it would be lack of preparation. Jim Harbaugh reflected on the fact that the starters barely played during the preseason in his press conference on Monday after the game, and while it's unclear how directly that played a part in the result, both sides of the ball just looked absolutely flat against Arizona. The timing on the offense was off, especially through the air, and the defense simply didn't have the pass-rush scheme to limit the Cardinals' passing-oriented offensive attack. It was an uncharacteristic performance for almost everyone on the roster, and the level of concern shouldn't be that high in terms of their ability to bounce back for Week 2 and beyond. But that's a loss you can't afford when you have the type of slate the Chargers do.
Our take: I am also of the belief that Los Angeles rebounds in Week 2, especially in its home opener. But I also don't think that it is insignificant, though, that Harbaugh and Co. couldn't get the team ready to play in Week 1, mentally or physically. Miscues commonly happen in the early going, but effort is something that you can't teach. And if the Raiders play with more fire and should be prepared.
Q: What is the latest with Ladd McConkey and his injury?
A: McConkey didn't practice on Wednesday, and it seems as though his status is definitely up in the air for the Week 2 matchup. If he's unable to go, expect Tre' Harris to take extensive snaps out of the slot, and expect Quentin Johnston to have a major role to play in the passing attack.
Update: McConkey was at practice on Friday and did individual drills. He is officially questionable for Sunday's game.
Our take: I don't think McConkey should play, but the risk of falling to 0-2 and losing to Las Vegas may push everyone involved to have him suit up. And McConkey, even at less than 100%, could cause problems for the Raiders. The smart thing for him would be to sit this early on, and if I'm Rob Leonard and the defense, I'd worry way more about Johnston than Harris.
Q: Los Angeles rotated at LG against Arizona, as if it were a preseason game. Will that continue in Week 2? And if you would, just talk a bit about the Chargers' IOL issues.
A: Don't get me started here. Harbaugh said he was going to 'think' about the LG platoon this week, so we'll see if they come out with the same game plan against the Raiders. In my mind, it's a situation we shouldn't be dealing with. I understand that neither Kayode Awosikaa or Trey Pipkins has truly earned the starting job outright, but they had all offseason (and a supposed O-line guru in Butch Barry) to identify and address that need. Two halves of one starting O-lineman do not make a reliable option at guard. What's more concerning, though, is that neither Cole Strange nor Jake Slaughter looked particularly inspiring in Week 1. Strange went unchallenged through camp as the Chargers' starting RG, and he's going to need to perform much more consistently to justify that.
Update: Trey Pipkins III has been ruled out for Week 2.
Our take: Rotating at left guard in a regular season game is asinine, and I wish the Chargers had a chance to do that against Las Vegas; it sounds like it was a disaster. But no matter who Los Angeles trots out on their interior offensive line, the Raiders should abuse them, either because the defensive tackles simply win, or because Leonard runs exotic stunts and pick plays to scream players like Maxx Crosby and Kwity Paye down the middle. It could be a long day for the Chargers' interior.
Q: The synergy between Justin Herbert and Mike McDaniel seemed nonexistent against the Cardinals. What'd you make of their first game together, and do you think they'll bounce back as soon as this week?
A: I jumped the gun slightly with my earlier answer, but this is certainly an interesting one. The McDaniel offense was always something that Herbert was going to need time to acclimate to. Everything is so timing-based that there was an unavoidable adjustment period. Very few expected it to look that rough in Week 1, though. I think McDaniel is smart, and he'll have some easier plays dialed up over the course of the game to get Herbert in rhythm this time.
Our take: McDaniel and Herbert don't really scare me that much. McDaniel had the most success as a play-caller with elite weapons around an average-to-below-average quarterback, and that's sort of the opposite situation in Los Angeles. They should be better than they were last week against the Raiders, but I am not completely convinced that it'll be enough.
Q: Chris O'Leary is no Jesse Minter; Chargers fans knew that. But how concerned are you about the defense going forward?
A: I've been in the 'O'Leary will be fine' camp all offseason, and I'm not budging from there until I see a larger sample size. But part of what made Minter such an effective coordinator was his ability to both identify and maximize secondary talent and create pressure along the defensive line with a relatively low blitz rate. O'Leary didn't accomplish either of those things in Week 1, and I'll be especially keeping an eye on his pressure packages heading into the Raiders matchup. How he adjusts will tell us a lot about his abilities as an NFL playcaller.
Our take: O'Leary was always a bad hire, and Klint Kubiak will outscheme him all day.
Q: Last week, LA gave up 7 completions of 10+ air yards. Was Jacoby Brissett really diming like that, or was it more broken coverage/typical Week 1 miscommunications? I.e., can Kirk Cousins actually have success deep against the Chargers?
A: As much as it pains me to say, Brissett really was diming like that. But as I mentioned above, it was also the Chargers' lack of pressure and some general miscommunication issues that allowed it to happen. My anticipation is that much of it will be cleaned up in Week 2, and things will be at least as tough on Cousins in terms of the deep passing game as they were last week against Miami.
Our take: Cousins is not quite the deep thrower that Brissett is, but he provided some hope. I think Cousins will have more success, or at least not be as bad, but it won't really be enough to tilt the balance in this matchup.
Q: What do you think the Chargers' game plan will be for stopping Ashton Jeanty?
A: I think it's largely going to fall upon the shoulders of the linebackers, and without Denzel Perryman, I don't feel completely confident in what the Chargers have there yet. Derwin James should play a large part too on clear run opportunities. What I think, though, is that they can live with an efficient game from Jeanty if they're able to take the lead early and capitalize on Cousins' inconsistencies through the air. There are a couple ifs there, and those could come back to burn me. But that's what I'm counting on for the Los Angeles defense heading into this matchup.
Our take: Admittedly, Derwin James scares me, but I love the Raiders' revamped offensive line. The biggest hurdle for Las Vegas, honestly, is forcing teams not to load the box. No matter how special Jeanty is, it dosn't take a genius to see that bringing in extra defenders to play the run is the obvious move until Cousins proves something with his arm.
Q: If you could, name one underrated player (or someone fans aren't talking about enough) on your roster that you think could cause problems for the Raiders on Sunday.
A: Since Akheem Mesidor was a first-round pick, I'm not going to count him here—although I'd watch for him to have some pressures dialed up after a no-show debut last week. Instead, I'll go with Justin Eboigbe. He had a strong training camp, and he outpaced the returning Teair Tart in pass-rush snaps last week. If he can get some pressure going on the interior, especially against Burford or Powers-Johnson, that changes the complexion of the Chargers' pass rush as a whole.
Our take: Interesting. He must be an underrated player because I don't know a ton about him! Hopefully, I don't hear his name called on Sunday, at least not in a good way. Hopefully, with Linderbaum helping out Burford or JPJ, Eboigbe is a non-issue.
Q: Lastly, what is your final score prediction?
A: Hopefully? 34-14 Chargers, and then we get to see Mendoza when we match up later in the season.
Our take: I find it hard to believe that the Chargers will beat the Raiders worse on Sunday than they did in 2025 or 2024, especially after the performances that the two teams put on display last week. For Week 1, my prediction was unbelievably close (24-13), even down to the big factors in the game. So, for this one, I'll say the Chargers win 24-20. Cousins could limit the Las Vegas offense even more in Week 2, and Herbert and James will have the difference-making plays in the game for LA.
I hope I'm wrong, and will gladly be.
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