The Las Vegas Raiders will look to build on an encouraging start when they visit their home-away-from-home of SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., on Sunday.
An opening-game victory over the Miami Dolphins has created some very positive vibes around the Raiders.
The mood is very different around the Los Angeles Chargers, who suffered the biggest upset of Week 1 when they were stunned by the Arizona Cardinals last week.
Game information
■ Who: Raiders at Chargers
■ When: 1:05 p.m. Sunday
■ Where: SoFi Stadium; Inglewood, Calif.
■ TV: CBS (Andrew Catalon, play-by-play; Logan Ryan, analyst; AJ Ross, sidelines)
■ Radio: KRLV-AM (920), KOMP-FM (92.3) (Jason Horowitz, play-by-play; Kirk Morrison, analyst)
■ Line: Chargers -7, total 43½
Series history
The Chargers have won four straight in the series to cut the Raiders’ all-time advantage to 69-62-2 between the longtime division rivals.
It was a very memorable night the last time the Raiders earned a victory. That was the game the Raiders rolled to a 63-21 win in December 2023 that led to mass changes in the Chargers organization.
The Chargers won 13 consecutive games in the series from 2003 to 2009, but the Raiders built a huge edge with a 19-1-2 run from 1963 to 1977. They have outscored the Raiders 2,935-2,933 in a rivalry that dates back to 1960.
Last meeting
Nov. 30, 2025 — Kimani Vidal ran for 126 yards and a touchdown to lift the Chargers to a 31-14 win on their way to playoff berth.
It was the sixth of 10 straight losses by the Raiders last season.
Geno Smith was 18-for-23 for 165 yards and two touchdowns, but was intercepted once and sacked five times. Brock Bowers had four catches for 63 yards and two touchdowns.
The Raiders managed just 31 yards on 18 carries.
Bold predictions
1. Tre Tucker will catch at least six passes for the Raiders.
2. The Raiders will block a kick on special teams.
3. Chargers running back Omarion Hampton will eclipse 100 rushing yards for just the second time in his career.
Storyline
There is probably no such thing as a must-win game in the second week of the NFL season.
This might be as close as it gets, however.
The Chargers already endured a home loss in a game in which they were a big favorite as they got tripped up by the Cardinals last week.
After the Raiders, the Chargers play seven of the league’s best teams in a row with five of those games coming on the road. Those five road games all come against teams among the top six favorites on the betting board to win the Super Bowl.
The Raiders are certain to get their best effort, and it should represent a big step up in competition from last week when the Raiders beat the Dolphins — perhaps the worst team in the league.
There were encouraging signs despite the level of competition, however. The Raiders were mostly disciplined and efficient, especially in the first half.
But they will have to be better to keep the positive momentum going against a desperate Chargers team.
When the Chargers have the ball
There was a whole lot of hype around the Chargers offense entering the season as playcalling guru Mike McDaniel prepared to team up with Justin Herbert, the most talented quarterback to run his system.
The results were not there in the opener.
Herbert struggled to get into a rhythm, and several drives were halted by penalties and protection issues.
While McDaniel’s offense is incredibly complex and often takes until deep into a season or even year two to truly install, there was an expectation Herbert would be ahead of the curve.
“You have a lot of visions coming to a new team and working on something for months,” McDaniel said Thursday, “and the vision never looked like that.”
The Raiders are preparing for a much better version of Herbert and the Chargers offense even if they are potentially without the services of wide receiver Ladd McConkey, who is questionable with a rib injury.
“They’re very talented,” Raiders defensive coordinator Rob Leonard said. “They’re very explosive. Gone against Mike a few times and he does a heck of a job. It’s going to be a tough test. They’ve got great players, and every week is its own deal.
“We’ve got to be ready.”
The Raiders will once again rely heavily on linebackers Nakobe Dean and Quay Walker, who both played every defensive snap last week. Rookie safety Treydan Stukes also stayed in for every snap and had an interception in his debut.
But Maxx Crosby and the pass rush, a group that recorded five sacks last week, will have to make Herbert uncomfortable.
When the Raiders have the ball
The opening drive of last week’s win over the Dolphins was a precise blueprint of exactly how the Raiders want this offense to look.
Kirk Cousins led a 16-play drive that covered 93 yards for a touchdown over nearly nine minutes, completing passes to six different receivers.
“That’s one of the things that we always talk about is being able to maximize our possessions, maximize the time that we have the ball in our hands,” offensive coordinator Andrew Janocko said. “I thought our coaches did a great job with the planning purposes, executing the planning, having our guys on point, letting our guys execute so that we were able to stay on the field.”
While the Raiders couldn’t replicate that kind of drive the rest of the way, they did do some positive things. The offensive line looked vastly improved and Ashton Jeanty reaped the benefits, as he racked up more than 100 yards on the ground and caught a pair of touchdown passes out of the backfield.
The next step is to generate explosive plays in the passing game. Cousins was 1-for-7 for 21 yards and two interceptions when throwing more than 10 yards downfield. The receivers will need to create more space and Cousins will have to find them, though they didn’t necessarily need to against Miami.
Obviously, the absence of Bowers was a major factor. He is unlikely to play, but has not been ruled out. His presence would change the complexion of the entire offense.
Friday’s injury report
■ Raiders: Out: CB Darien Porter (foot). Doubtful: TE Brock Bowers (knee). Questionable: QB Aidan O’Connell (personal).
■ Chargers: Out: OT Trey Pipkins (knee), DB Elijah Molden (hamstring). Questionable: WR Ladd McConkey (rib), DB Deane Leonard (abdomen).
The pick
Chargers 24, Raiders 20
Adam Hill Las Vegas Review-Journal
