Game Overview ::
By mike johnson >>
- The Raiders enter the season with a new quarterback, a new(ish) head coach, and new weapons in their offensive skill personnel.
- The Chargers have new faces all over the place. They had a complete coaching staff overhaul and lost their top two wide receivers, top two running backs, and top two tight ends from 2023.
- Both of these teams have shown us signs, directly and indirectly, that they want to have a run-oriented offensive game plan.
- Justin Herbert had a foot injury in training camp but is allegedly back to full strength to start the year.
- There are elite pass rushers on both sides of the ball, making the prospect of having to come from behind daunting for either team.
How las vegas Will Try To Win ::
The Raiders finished 2023 strong after jettisoning former head coach Josh McDaniels in the middle of the season. They appointed Antonio Pierce as the Interim Head Coach, and he finished the year on a positive note, with the team demonstrating clear improvement in execution and energy. That strong finish and the blessing of most of the Raiders roster led to Pierce being named the permanent head coach this offseason.
The aforementioned strong finish for the Raiders 2023 season was built on a foundation of ball control and defense. The Raiders committed to the running game and were unafraid to pound their opponents mercilessly as long as the game script allowed. They had a “statement” win over the eventual Super Bowl champion Chiefs on Christmas Eve in which they did not complete a single pass after the first quarter. That game is the blueprint for how Pierce and the Raiders would likely want to handle many games this season, as their QB room consists of current starter Gardner Minshew (a career journeyman) and second-year prospect Aidan O’Connell. While Minshew won the starting job during the preseason, one would think he will have a bit of a short leash. Minshew has had some success throughout his career but is also a bit of a “gunslinger” with a propensity for untimely turnovers that could quickly land him in Pierce’s doghouse as they try to win games by taking care of the ball.
Raiders offensive coordinator Luke Getsy’s offense in Chicago last season ranked 26th in pass rate over expectation, and one would think, based on how Pierce wants the Raiders to play, that it will look similar this season in Vegas. The big difference for Getsy will be that he has quite the cast of skilled receivers to get the ball to if/when he chooses to. Davante Adams, Jakobi Meyers, and rookie tight end Brock Bowers make for one of the NFL’s better and most underrated trios of pass catchers. Starting running back Zamir White has never been a huge threat as a pass catcher, and the Raiders overall pass rate is likely to be low, meaning that those three (Adams, Meyers, Bowers) will likely account for a huge portion of the team’s targets. I would expect most of the Raiders passing attack to try to get the ball out quickly and let their guys make plays after the catch – something all three of them are very good at – rather than having Minshew trying to squeeze the ball in tight windows. Expect Vegas to have a conservative game plan until forced to do something different.
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