Las Vegas Raiders (1-0) @ Los Angeles Chargers (0-1)
Sunday, September 20, 4:05 PM ET
This matchup between the Las Vegas Raiders and Los Angeles Chargers is going to be our best proof of whether or not Week 1 in the NFL is a liar.
The Las Vegas Raiders -- the worst team in the NFL last season -- played some inspired football. Of course, the inspired football they played came against the rebuilding Miami Dolphins, who have one of the youngest (and frankly, worst) rosters in the NFL right now, but the Raiders played pretty well on both sides of the ball.
Ashton Jeanty was a monster, running for 102 yards, racking up 45 yards and 2 TDs as a receiver as well. The Raiders' defense got after Malik Willis to the tune of 11 QB hits. Pass protection and balance helped keep Kirk Cousins protected, and he wasn't sacked a single time against Miami.
Again, the question isn't how well the Raiders played against Miami. It's whether or not that was a mirage.
The Chargers were on the opposite end of the spectrum. They laid completely flat in Week 1 and were one of the most disappointing teams around the entire NFL. They scored just 14 points and were beaten pretty badly -- at home -- by the Arizona Cardinals.
Thankfully for the Chargers, it was a non-conference game. Still, the Raiders might smell blood in the water going into this game, and the Chargers were vulnerable on the offensive line once again. But what else is new?
If Week 1 is a liar, then the Chargers are easily going to cover as 7-point favorites. If these teams are truly going opposite directions, then we might see the Raiders start stringing something together here early in the season, and Klint Kubiak can make an early case for NFL Coach of the Year.
I'm going to go a little conservative and pick the Chargers, but I'm not confident in them at all after what we saw in Week 1.
Prediction: Chargers win 23-19
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