Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium will be bathed in black this Sunday afternoon in support of their favorite “road” visitor. Josh McDaniels and his Raiders will take on their division rivals, the Chargers (led by Brandon Staley), in a contest that carries significant importance for both teams. Los Angeles and Las Vegas both sit on 1-2 records for the year. The combined record of the two teams they toppled was an awe-inducing 0–6.
Another Year, Another Shaky Start For The Raiders
Outside of the aforementioned wins against lesser competition, these franchises don’t have very much in common on paper. The Chargers have wasted so much talent over the last 20 years they would drive Lorenzo Anello to self-harm. The franchise’s only Super Bowl claim to fame is being on the wrong side of the biggest blowout in the event’s history.
They’ve currently nestled in as the Clippers of the California football landscape. Sure, they have the most skilled team in SoCal, but whether it be injuries or a franchise from the Bay Area standing in their way, no one believes they’ll actually win it all.
Meanwhile, the Raiders can only laugh so hard at the ineptitude of their Bolted foes. The Al Davis glory days grow more and more distant with every calamity-fueled loss, every shout-inducing draft bust, every doomed from the start season. Long gone are the days of the Black Hole and instilling fear from opposing fanbases to attend Raider home games.
Owner Mark Davis sold the soul of the Autumn Wind in exchange for the city that never sleeps and a franchise with an actual head coach in the WNBA’s Aces. The Raiders can’t even cry about injuries or bad luck halting their chances. It is straight-up incompetence.
Do you want to know who’s causing the horror for the Silver and Black? The call is coming from inside the house, Mark.
Raiders fans: No way we lose against a battered Chargers squad!
Josh McDaniels: pic.twitter.com/1W7HJP6hDy
— RaiderRamble.com™ (@TheRaiderRamble) September 30, 2023
Josh McDaniels vs. Brandon Staley: A Battle Of Mid?
Despite the diverging paths of incredulous pain, one song remains the same for both franchises. Neither have a capable head coach. Los Angeles’ Brandon Staley may sit on a hotter seat than Vegas’ Josh McDaniels as of now, but that will change, barring a miracle turnaround to the season. The Bolts are already injury-ridden, and the late-game decisions are as flummoxing as ever. Despite having an impressive offensive output to begin the year, the LA defense has been atrocious.
Brandon Staley is a defensive coach by past job experience only. His defense has surrendered 29 points per game and 450.7 yards per game (28th and 31st in the league, respectively). An already gashed unit will be without All-Pro safety Derwin James and pass rusher Joey Bosa is likely to play but could be hobbled with an injury as well.
For that reason, some pundits may say Las Vegas has no excuses come Sunday. However, they’ve looked no better. The Raiders are already confused as to how they’ve looked so bad defensively, a long-standing tradition, while the offense is off to an even slower start with their new, hand-picked quarterback. X and O “genius” Josh McDaniels has engineered an offense that has produced a poultry 15 points per game and 287.7 yards a contest (29th and 23rd in the league). The rushing attack has struggled (2.9 yards per rush) due to the team’s understanding of new signal-caller Jimmy Garoppolo’s limitations in throwing the deep ball.
Running back Josh Jacobs routinely sees stacked boxes, even with weapons like Davante Adams on the outside. While “Jimmy G” has been in concussion protocol all week, we can assume he suits up, barring a major setback.
The Game Will Come Down To The Assistants
Sunday, we will see two coaches with polar opposite specialties but identically poor results. The separation comes on the other side of the ball for each team. The Chargers offense, led by the overly praised but opulently talented Justin Herbert, is a top 10 unit in nearly every major metric. Herbert himself has yet to throw an interception this season. Even without running back Austin Ekeler and wide receiver Mike Williams (both out due to injury), offensive coordinator Kellen Moore has the smarts and pieces needed to orchestrate a strong attack.
The Raiders’ defense, on the other hand, is a bottom-ten unit in all categories outside of yards per game, where they sit at 17th. That is mostly due to offenses taking underneath routes in the passing game until another six points are on the board. Defensive coordinator Patrick Graham can’t seem to live up to the praise he was lauded with before he arrived in Las Vegas, and for that reason alone, Staley and the Super Chargers should end up 2-2 by Sunday evening.
Have the Raiders faced two quality defenses the last two weeks as they’ve struggled to move the football? Yes, but no one should expect Garoppolo to morph into a less jittery player in the pocket when he steps on the field this week. Even J.C. Jackson could’ve caught the interceptions Jimmy threw last week, and he wasn’t even active for the Chargers.
The stands will be steeped in Black on Sunday. Fitting for the burial of the Raiders’ fleeting playoff hopes. A yearly tradition comes sooner than some had hoped, thanks to their head coach and his staff being outwitted yet again.
*Top Photo: Getty Images