Add The California Post on Google INTRO/PLAYBOOK The Raiders have a blueprint. The Chargers have a warning.
And Sunday at SoFi Stadium, both will find out how much a week of preparation can change the picture.
For the Raiders, their season-opening victory over the Dolphins offered an encouraging look at what new coach Klint Kubiak is building: An offense that can lean on Ashton Jeanty, a passing game designed to keep the chains moving and a defense capable of making quarterbacks uncomfortable without asking Maxx Crosby to do all the heavy lifting.
Doing it against a better roster. Doing it against Justin Herbert. And doing it against a division opponent that understands how quickly an opening loss can become an early-season problem.
The Chargers already know what happens when an opponent establishes the run and uses a controlled passing game to keep an offense moving. The Cardinals showed them last week, handing the Bolts a season-opening defeat with an approach that should look familiar when the Raiders take the field.
That gives Kubiak something to work with. It also gives Chargers defensive coordinator Chris O’Leary something to correct.
The Raiders cannot assume the same answers will be available simply because Arizona found them. They have to anticipate the response.
That starts with Jeanty, whose ability to drive the offense allows the Raiders to dictate manageable situations for Kirk Cousins. When the run game is working, Kubiak can keep his playbook open and Cousins can operate without being asked to carry every possession.
The Chargers have every reason to disrupt that arrangement.
Expect their defensive priorities to begin with Jeanty and extend to the short throws that helped the Raiders function against Miami. Make the running lanes smaller. Close quickly on underneath receivers. Force Cousins to hold the ball longer and prove he can punish a defense beyond the first-down marker.
That is the next question the Raiders must answer.
Cousins does not need to turn Sunday into a deep-ball exhibition. But an offense that won’t or can’t threaten teams downfield eventually invites defenders to crowd everything in front of them. A handful of completions over their heads could create considerably more room for everyone else.
So would avoiding the two turnovers Cousins committed in the opener. Against Herbert, those mistakes could carry a much steeper price.
The Raiders can help themselves by making Herbert’s afternoon as difficult as possible. Their five sacks against Miami offered evidence of a pass rush with contributors beyond Crosby. Against a Chargers offensive line that struggled to protect Herbert in the opener, that depth could become one of Sunday’s deciding factors.
For the Raiders, the opportunity is substantial: a 2-0 start, a division victory and a chance to push the Chargers into an 0-2 hole.
The Raiders showed they could win a game they needed to win last week. Sunday offers a chance to show how far that progress can travel.
Kubiak has already seen a version of his preferred formula beat the Chargers. Arizona’s combination of productive running and efficient short passing last week offered a useful starting point for the Raiders’ play-caller.
The Chargers defensive coordinator will have corrections ready, particularly when it comes to limiting Jeanty and squeezing the underneath throws that help Cousins stay comfortable. Kubiak’s challenge is anticipating those adjustments and finding the opportunities they create.
Can he use the Chargers’ attention to Jeanty to manufacture an explosive play? Can O’Leary pressure Cousins without giving him an easy outlet?
The opening script will matter. The responses could matter more. Kubiak has a blueprint, but Sunday will test how well he can revise it.
The Chargers will play with the urgency of a team that understands what an 0-2 start could mean, especially with the schedule getting considerably tougher over the coming weeks. The Raiders have enough in their running game and pass rush to make this competitive, but the Chargers have the better roster and the more dangerous quarterback. Herbert makes enough plays to give the Chargers the edge. A close loss would sting, particularly against a division rival, but the Raiders showing they can trade punches with a more talented team would still represent progress.
Taking shots downfield is a start. Completing them is what changes a defense. Cousins has to give the Chargers a reason to protect the space behind their underneath coverage, or Jeanty and the short passing game will face increasingly crowded conditions. The Raiders do not need a parade of 40-yard completions. They need enough successful throws beyond the underneath windows to make defenders hesitate before charging forward. Kubiak can help through play-action and favorable matchups, but Cousins has to deliver when those chances arrive. An open receiver downfield only helps if the ball gets there.
If Jeanty controls Sunday’s game the way he influenced the opener, the Raiders should leave SoFi Stadium with a victory. The Chargers understand that, which is why stopping him figures to drive their defensive plan. They want Cousins deciding the game with his arm, especially in obvious passing situations. The Raiders need their offensive line to create enough room for Jeanty to keep possessions on schedule and sustain Kubiak’s options. This is also a test of patience. An early stop cannot become a reason to abandon the player best equipped to give the Silver-and-Black control.
The Chargers need to keep Herbert clean. The Raiders need to make that feel impossible. Five sacks against Miami demonstrated that they can generate pressure beyond Crosby, an important development against an offense certain to account for him on every snap. The Chargers struggled to protect Herbert against Arizona, and another difficult afternoon could prevent their offense from finding its rhythm. For the Raiders, the opportunity extends beyond sacks: hurried decisions, disrupted timing and third-down throws released before receivers break open. But they must finish their chances. Herbert can turn an escaped sack into a costly defensive mistake.
Cousins turned the ball over twice against Miami, and the Raiders still won. That is a difficult formula to repeat against Herbert. Every giveaway risks handing the Chargers a short field, stealing a scoring opportunity from the Raiders and forcing them away from the balanced approach that gives them their best chance. Cousins has to distinguish between an opportunity worth attacking and a play that needs to end safely. The challenge is protecting the ball while still threatening the defense downfield. Against a better opponent, the Raiders cannot afford to make Herbert’s job any easier.
