The Las Vegas Raiders started the 2025 NFL season with a 1-0 record after taking down the New England Patriots in Week 1. They have an even tougher challenge awaiting them at Allegiant Stadium this week, as they take on the Los Angeles Chargers.
Not only will emotions be heightened in this game due to it being a primetime Monday Night Football game between two AFC West foes, but head coaches Pete Carroll and Jim Harbaugh detest each other, seemingly both on and off the field.
While most of the attention will be on the battle between these two rival franchises and their respective legendary coaches, there is another matchup that should draw a lot of attention: the one between Raiders offensive coordinator Chip Kelly and Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter.
Raiders have perfect opportunity to exploit Chargers' defensive philosophy
Truthfully, Kelly has a prime opportunity to take advantage of Minter's tendencies and dismantle the Chargers' defense in front of a national audience. It'll all come down to what the players do on the field, but these two coaches will be playing a chess game from opposing sidelines.
Minter's defense has thrived by relying on a two-high shell, where they put safeties deep and try to prevent big plays. They were largely successful against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 1, as Patrick Mahomes and Co. ended up relying on a dink-and-dunk offense to move the ball.
Los Angeles has also run a lot of zone and Cover 3 or 4 looks out of a nickel package, which means that they are employing an extra defensive back instead of a linebacker and dropping three or four of them deep into zone coverage.
RELATED: This Raiders rookie had an NFL debut to forget in Week 1 vs. Patriots
Fortunately for the Raiders, Kelly and the offense have the exact personnel and formula to pick apart this defense. Instead of taking deep shots and trying to rip the top off the defense, they'll first have to establish the run to draw the deep defensive backs in.
Ashton Jeanty should be much better in Week 2, and the Chargers' defensive line is not nearly as good against the run as the Patriots' was. In 12 personnel, with two tight ends on the field, the run-blocking should be much improved this week as well.
The Raiders also need to have success underneath and in the middle of the field, which is exactly where players like Brock Bowers, Jakobi Meyers, Michael Mayer and Jack Bech make their money. These players also have a knack for finding a soft spot in zones, which the Chargers run a lot of.
Essentially, it boils down to how early Kelly can establish the run and have success underneath. If he can, the Chargers will be forced to adjust and bring their safeties up more, and then Tre Tucker and Dont'e Thornton Jr.'s speed can be unleashed.
This is obviously easier said than done, and the offensive line will need to hold up better than it did last week against a still solid Chargers front. But there should be an obvious game plan in place for Chip Kelly's unit, and they'll need to execute it for a fighting chance at victory.