Oakland Raiders: A Few Keys To Victory Over The San Diego Chargers
By Kevin Saito
Attack San Diego’s Corners
With Brandon Flowers ruled out with a concussion and Jason Verrett done for the year after tearing his ACL, San Diego will be without their two top corners.
The Raiders should recognize the opportunity and attack their replacements both relentlessly and mercilessly. OC Bill Musgrave needs to dial up a pass heavy game plan that’s going to be ruthless in attacking a weakened San Diego secondary.
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Of course, the action is going to start up front. Expect San Diego to blitz frequently and attack Oakland’s offensive line with abandon. The hope is that an effective pass rush that can get to, hit, and hurry Carr will provide a little bit of cover for a depleted secondary. Oakland’s offensive line needs to be ready for it and counter it effectively.
With the line holding strong – hopefully – Carr should have enough time to be surgical with his strikes. He needs to find the open spots – which, there may be plenty of – and hit his receivers in rhythm.
San Diego’s pass defense was already suspect, ranking twenty-seventh in the league in yards allowed. But with both Flowers and Verrett out, Carr and the offense will have plenty of opportunities to make some plays.
At some point, the Raiders are going to need to play a game that doesn’t come down to the wire. They’re going to need to blow somebody out. If only to get the experience of knowing what it felt like. And this would be a perfect game to light it up and air it out.
The Raiders should throw early, often, and really put the squeeze on San Diego’s secondary. The Chargers are hurting, but the Raiders should offer no quarter whatsoever and really drop the hammer on them.