Coming off their Week 6 bye, the Oakland Raiders currently hold a record of 2-3 and own sole possession of 2nd place in the AFC West.
They now prepare to travel to San Diego this weekend to take on Philip Rivers and the Chargers who are coming off another hard-fought defeat, this time at the hands of the Green Bay Packers, dropping their record to 2-4.
The Silver and Black are set to square off with the division rival Chargers for the first time this season, so heading into their Week 7 showdown, let's double-check our matchups of the week, brought to you by State Farm.
Cornerback David Amerson vs. Wide Receiver Keenan Allen
A childhood battle renewed.
After growing up together in Greensboro, N.C., Amerson and Allen are set to square off Sunday at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego.
However, the stakes are higher this time around, compared to their childhood pickup basketball games.
Simply put, Allen has been on a tear through the early stages of 2015, already hauling in 53 receptions for 601 yards and 3 touchdowns.
Allen suffered a hip injury and was forced to leave the Chargers Week 6 game against the Green Bay Packers early, but Amerson and the rest of the Raiders defense expect him to be ready to go Sunday.
"He's [Allen] real wiggly and gives you a lot of false movements and stuff so you can kind of expect that and it helps a little bit when it comes to playing against him," said Amerson. "At the end of the day, you just have to go out there and ball."
Quarterback Derek Carr vs. Quarterback Philip Rivers
It's no secret that Philip Rivers has found his fair share of success against the Silver and Black during his career.
In his 18 games against the Raiders, Rivers has thrown for 4,222 yards and 27 touchdowns en route to a 14-4 overall record against his AFC West rival.
At 33 years of age, the veteran quarterback is showing no signs of slowing down, as he's coming off the heels of a team record 503-yard passing performance Sunday against the Packers and currently leads the league with 2,116 passing yards.
Sunday's game has all the telltale signs of a classic offensive shootout, so seeing which quarterback takes advantage of their opportunities and limits mistakes will be critical in the end result of the contest.
Safety Charles Woodson vs. Tight End Antonio Gates
After a well-documented struggle against the opposing team's tight end through the first quarter of the season, defensive coordinator Ken Norton, Jr.'s defense seems to have remedied the situation, completely shutting out Denver Broncos tight end Owen Daniels the last time the Raiders took the field.
That being said, they'll have their work cut out for them once again Sunday, as they'll be tasked with containing Antonio Gates.
After missing the first four games of the 2015 season due to suspension, the All-Pro tight end has now appeared in two games, totaling 18 receptions for 187 yards and 2 touchdowns since his return.
Head Coach Jack Del Rio has continually said that not just one player will attempt to lock down the opposing team's tight end, but expect safety Charles Woodson to be in Gates' back pocket all day, making life difficult for the eight-time Pro Bowler.
If Woodson, and rookie linebacker Neiron Ball, can at least contain Gates, it would be considered a victory in slowing down the high-flying San Diego offense.
