Game Preview: Raiders gearing up for season opener in Los Angeles

Sep 06, 2022 at 02:30 PM

Rachel Gossen

Digital Managing Editor

The Las Vegas Raiders are back in action this Sunday against the Los Angeles Chargers for a season-opening AFC West divisional clash.

"No question that division games are critical. Division games on the road – critical. So we're going to put everything we've got into this one and give it all we've got on Sunday," Head Coach Josh McDaniels said Tuesday.

Kickoff is set for Sunday at 1:25 p.m. PT from SoFi Stadium.

Broadcast information

Related Links

Table inside Article
Network/Flagship	Play-by-play	Color Analyst
TV: CBS	Kevin Harlan	Trent Green
Radio: KOMP 92.3 FM and KRLV "Raider Nation Radio 920 AM"	Jason Horowitz	Lincoln Kennedy
Spanish Radio: Deportes Vegas 1460 AM	Cristian Echeverria	Harry Ruiz

What to watch for

After a nail-biting 2021 season finale that saw the Raiders fight their way into the playoffs, the two teams are back to duke it out in Week 1 – but this time, their rosters look a little different. The Chargers have stacked up their defense by adding cornerback J.C. Jackson and linebacker Kyle Van Noy, trading for a familiar face to the Silver and Black in Khalil Mack and also locking down safety Derwin James with a four-year contract extension. Third-year QB Justin Herbert is back with a plethora of weapons that'll challenge the Raiders defense in receivers Keenan Allen and Mike Williams, as well as running back Austin Ekeler.

Derek Carr enters his ninth season in the Silver and Black, this time joined by his college teammate Davante Adams while still having top receiving threats Hunter Renfrow and Darren Waller in the mix. No. 4 will look to build upon last year's success where he reached a career high in single-season passing yards with 4,804 (also a franchise high) and was the only QB in the league to rank in the top five in both passing yards and completion percentage (68.4).

With this Week 1 matchup, the Raiders could extend their streak of season-opening wins to four, having won their season openers in each of the last three seasons (one of six teams to do so).

Matchup history

The Raiders lead the all-time regular season series against the Chargers, 66-56-2, dating back to 1960. When the two teams met last season, the split the series with the Chargers winning, 28-14, on Oct. 4 in LA and the Raiders getting the win, 35-32, in overtime on Jan. 9.

A look back at the stats

In the 2021 regular season, the Raiders offense ranked 11th in the league in total offense (363.8 yards per game), sixth in passing (268.6 ypg), 28th in rushing (95.1 ypg) and 18th in points (22.0 ppg). Defensively, the Raiders ranked 14th in total defense (337.2 ypg), 13th in passing (222.9 ypg), 19th in rushing (114.3 ypg) and 26th in points allowed (25.8 ppg).

The Chargers offense ranked fourth in total offense (390.2 ypg), tied for second in passing (282.4 ypg), 21st in rushing (107.9 ypg) and fifth in points (27.9 ppg). Defensively, the Chargers ranked 23rd in total defense (360.1 ypg), 12th in passing (221.2 ypg), 30th in rushing (138.9 ypg) and tied for 30th in points allowed (27.0 ppg).

Numbers to know

WR Davante Adams needs two touchdowns to reach 75 career receiving touchdowns.
Adams needs two receptions to extend his active streak of consecutive games with multiple receptions to 76 – the second-longest active streak in the NFL.
S Johnathan Abram needs two tackles to reach 200 career total tackles.
QB Derek Carr needs 300 passing yards to reach 32,000 career passing yards and become one of nine QBs in NFL history to reach the mark in 128 games or less.
Carr needs 373 passing yards to move to the 47th spot on the NFL's all-time passing yards list.
Carr needs seven touchdowns to reach 200 career touchdowns.
DE Chandler Jones needs two tackles for loss to become the 14th player in league history to reach 120 career tackles for loss.
WR Hunter Renfrow needs three receptions to extend his active streak to 20 consecutive games with at least three catches – the sixth-longest active streak in the NFL.
RB Josh Jacobs is the only player in the league to record multiple touchdowns in each of the last three season openers and needs at least two touchdowns to extend his streak to four consecutive season openers.
TE Darren Waller needs 214 receiving yards to move to second all-time for most career receiving yards by a tight end in franchise history.

Notable connections

Raiders linebacker Denzel Perryman was drafted by the Chargers in the second round of the 2015 NFL Draft, and spent the first six years of his career with the team.
Raiders safety Roderic Teamer played one season with Los Angeles after signing with the Chargers in 2019 as an undrafted free agent.
Raiders wide receiver Tyron Johnson spent the 2020 season with the Chargers.
Chargers linebacker Khalil Mack was drafted fifth overall by the Raiders in the 2014 NFL Draft, spending four seasons with the team.
Chargers defensive coordinator Renaldo Hill played safety for the Raiders in 2005.
Chargers secondary coach Derrick Ansley served as the Raiders defensive back coach in 2018.

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Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr (4) during practice at Intermountain Healthcare PerformanceCenter.