The Los Angeles Chargers and Las Vegas Raiders are about to duke it out in a divisional showdown to open up the season on Sunday afternoon.
Before the matchup, Raiders Wire writer Levi Damien spoke with us about Los Angeles’ opponent.
What are the biggest schematic changes (offense and/or defense) we can expect with Josh McDaniels as head coach?
One schematic change on defense you can expect is more man coverage. They let 2021 starters Casey Hayward and Trayvon Mullen go and picked up Rock Ya-Sin and Anthony Averett. Nickel corner Nate Hobbs showed he could hold up in man and zone as a rookie and he gets a promotion to start and work inside and outside.
As for the offense, I wouldn’t expect it to change too much schematically. Both McDaniels and Gruden love their tight ends and slot receivers and the Raiders have Pro Bowl players at both positions in Darren Waller and Hunter Renfrow.
How is the addition of Davante Adams going to impact the way the Raiders operate on offense?
He should give Derek Carr a lot more confidence in throwing downfield for sure. That seems a given. Adams is also considered the best route runner in the league, and with the offensive line as shaky as it is, expect some quick passes to Adams with his ability to shake defenders quickly off the line. His ability to get open quickly will be crucial, especially in this game with Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack rushing from both sides.
There was some buzz about Josh Jacobs getting traded this offseason. Is he going to have his normal workload or are other guys going to be more in the mix than in years past?
It’s going to be a backfield by committee. Jacobs will likely get more carries than the others, but overall he will share with Brandon Bolden and the two rookies. Ameer Abdullah will get some carries as well, but he will get most of his touches as a receiver out of the backfield. He’ll fill the same role James White filled in McDaniels’s offense in New England.
Are we going to see Chandler Jones and Maxx Crosby switch sides for matchups, or will it mostly be Jones against left tackle and Crosby against right tackle?
I personally expect Crosby to rush off right tackle and Jones off left tackle, but it’s hard to say for certain if or how much they might switch things up.