Football is the ultimate team sport, but individual matchups are still critically important. And the Las Vegas Raiders are seemingly a bit outmatched in a general senseahead of their Week 2 bout against the Los Angeles Chargers, so getting big wins where they can will be vital to turning the outcome.
In that vein, Week 1 revealed that the Raiders' pass rush is one of the strengths of their team, so they have to get home again this Sunday, early and often. Putting Maxx Crosby on a pitch count and using Kwity Paye to his full ability seemed to do the trick on opening weekend. But a hefty challenge awaits.
Los Angeles' offensive tackle duo of Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt is, in a word, monstrous, but in a few words, undoubtedly one of the best tandems of bookends in the NFL. Whoever emerges victorious in this game within the game will certainly have better odds of landing favorably in the win-loss column.
Raiders' pass rush will be severely challenged by Chargers' elite OT duo
Rob Leonard's defense set up camp in the Miami Dolphins' backfield last Sunday, with the team notching a ridiculous 27 pressures on 37 dropbacks. To add insult to injury, the Raiders came through with 5.0 sacks and 11 quarterback hits, and Crosby and Paye were the main culprits.
Both players posted eight pressures against Miami, and they combined for 3.5 of the team's sacks. With the help of two linebackers who can open up a new world for the defense, Las Vegas' pass rush looked like a different beast in Week 1, and it'll all come together if the back end can limit explosives.
But the Chargers' duo of Slater and Alt also had a dynamic showing against an underrated Cardinals front last week. Alt pitched a complete-game shutout, and Slater gave up just two pressures in the contest. The Raiders have their work cut out for them against these two.
Last year, the Silver and Black got whooped by the Chargers in Week 2, and the pass rush managed just 11 total pressures. Crosby was limited to one. In Week 13, the results were a bit better for Crosby, as he had five pressures and 2.0 sacks, but the team still managed just 10 pressures.
Clearly, this unit has struggled in the past to get after the quarterback with Alt and Slater in their way.
How Raiders winning this battle could tilt the balance in the matchup
If the Raiders can pressure Justin Herbert and actually contain him in the pocket and not let him run all over them, as Malik Willis did at times, then it'll change the complexion of the matchup. Suddenly, the concerns about Las Vegas' secondary are minimized if Herbert doesn't have time to throw.
Should Mike McDaniel and his crew not have success through the air, they'll have to lean on the ground game. Last week, the Raiders had no issues shutting down De'Von Achane, who is a way better back than Omarion Hampton.
Leonard should be able to run some exotic blitzes and rushes to put pressure on the weak interior offensive line that Los Angeles has, and in that way, Las Vegas' defensive end duo may be able to impact the game without going directly through Alt and Slater.
Either way, if the Raiders' defensive end group and the rest of the pass rush can make life difficult for Alt and Slater, or at least not get outright dominated against them, then the Silver and Black have a chance to start 1-0 in the AFC West.
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