Oakland Raiders: 5 Key matchups vs. Chargers in Week 6
By Nick Sparrow
Sean Smith vs. Keenan Allen
Sean Smith continued to struggle against fast receivers as he got beat multiple times by Mike Wallace on Sunday. Wallace ended Week 5 with three receptions for 133 yards. Smith cannot continue to allow huge plays, especially while this Raiders offense is struggling.
More from Las Vegas Raiders
- 5 NFL teams that will definitely disappoint fans in 2023
- 3 Players the Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders gave up on way too early
- 2024 NFL Draft: Who picks at the top of the draft in April?
- NFL Predictions: 5 Teams that will be drafting a quarterback in 2024
- 5 NFL Head Coaches that could be fired by the end of the 2023 season
With Smith struggling, matching up against Keenan Allen may spell trouble for the Raiders. Oakland is well aware of how talented a receiver Allen is. In five career games against the Raiders, Allen is averaging 64 yards per game.
Allen enters Week 6 averaging 80.2 yards per game, ranked fourth in the league. It has been a great start to the season for Allen, who is averaging over 16 yards per reception for the last two games. Smith will likely be tested early and often in this game, as only Antonio Brown and DeAndre Hopkins have been targetted more than Allen through the first five games of the season.
If Allen has one flaw in his game this season, it is catching the heavy volume thrown at him. Allen enters Week 6 with a catch rate of 53.8 percent, which is a career-low. However, despite the low catch percentage, Allen remains the leading receiver on the team and is one of their best offensive weapons.