Oakland Raiders Must Be Very Wary Of The Wounded Animal

The Oakland Raiders sit at 3-1 on the season and are set to square off with the 1-3 San Diego Chargers in a classic trap game the Raiders simply can’t afford to fall into.

There have been a lot of things breaking just right for the Oakland Raiders so far this young season. They’ve made some spectacular plays when they needed to, have been able to step up at just the right time, have overcome a boatload of adversity – some of it self-imposed – and have gotten a good dose of luck along the way.

And now, they’re set to face a San Diego Chargers squad who has had everything break in exactly the opposite way. They’ve not been able to make plays, have not been able to step up, have not been able to overcome adversity, and have had zero luck. This Chargers squad has managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory several times already this season.

On the surface, one might be tempted to think that Oakland will move to 4-1 after this game and drop their rivals to the south to 1-4. What, with Oakland’s momentum, not to mention a San Diego roster depleted by injury and the lack of playmakers able to suit up for them.

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As tempting as it is to think that – stop it. Stop it right now, in fact. This is what some might refer to as a classic trap game. A game that if they’re not careful, the Raiders could wind up on the wrong side of.

For San Diego, anything that could go wrong, is going wrong – not that they can or should expect much sympathy from the Raider Nation. This is a team that will be without their starting tandem of corners – Jason Verrett and Brandon Flowers. Playmakers Keenan Allen and Danny Woodhead are done for the year.

One of their more reliable weapons in Antonio Gates may not be able to go. Their offensive line is banged up with King Dunlap, Chris Hairston, and Orlando Franklin all questionable to play as of this writing. Their linebacker group has taken a hit with the injuries to Manti Te’o – who is out for the year – and Denzel Perryman, who is questionable.

The Chargers have basically suffered catastrophic injuries to most of their roster. About the only spot of good news they’ve had recently is that first round pick Joey Bosa is expected to make his debut with the team – finally.

Despite all of the misery and misfortune that has befallen the Chargers this season – again, try to control your laughter, Raider fans – this is a team that should not be taken lightly. This is a game that should not be overlooked.

At the risk of sounding like a concern troll, it’s imperative that this team remain focused and avoid getting caught looking ahead. Otherwise, they Chargers very well could jump up and bite this team in the backside.

And that would be primarily because of the man under center for San Diego – Philip Rivers.

Despite all of Rivers’ – ahem – maddening idiosyncracies, he remains a very good quarterback who’s found a lot of success against the Raiders over the years. With even a middling supporting cast around him, Rivers can still work some magic. Let’s not forget, Rivers owns a career 14-6 mark over the Raiders – and let’s not pretend that some of those years were very lean times for San Diego.

Though not brimming with talent, the Chargers will still run out some guys who can make plays. Melvin Gordon has six touchdowns on the year and has looked better than he did in his rookie campaign. And given Oakland’s troubles against the run this season, Gordon could get hot.

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They’ve also got a pair of receivers in Travis Benjamin and Tyrell Williams who can make some plays against a soft or unfocused secondary. Though Oakland’s play in the secondary has improved over the last couple of weeks, they’ll need to maintain that intensity and not lose focus. If they take their eye off the all, Benjamin and Williams could have big days.

And lastly, let’s not forget that this is a Chargers team that despite their rash of injuries, has held leads over the Chiefs, Colts, and Saints in the fourth quarter. And in the case of the Chiefs and Saints, the lead was double digits before a late collapse cost them the game.

If San Diego had figured out how to finish, they could very well be 3-1 rather than 1-3. And the Raiders don’t want to be the team the Chargers figure it out against.

The Raiders need to avoid the trap and play the team in front of them. They simply, cannot afford to look past the Chargers to next week’s important matchup with the Chiefs. Oakland has some momentum and they’re building towards bigger and better things. The last thing they want is to get derailed by looking too far ahead.

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They say that animals are at their most dangerous when they’re wounded. The Chargers are most definitely a wounded animal and one the Raiders cannot take lightly. This is a trap game and one the Raiders absolutely must avoid falling into.