The Los Angeles Chargers have finally arrived at their opportunity to put their brutal Week 1 defeat at the hands of the Arizona Cardinals behind them. Needless to say, it's an opportunity they need to capitalize upon.
The Las Vegas Raiders looked somewhat solid on both sides of the ball against the Miami Dolphins in Week 1. But it was, of course, the Dolphins—who are projected to be one of the worst teams in the league this year. Can the Chargers turn things around against a somewhat shaky Raiders secondary and a limited offense under Kirk Cousins? Can the offensive line start to acquit itself after an offseason of turmoil?
These are questions we might not have complete answers to by the end of the game, so it might be helpful to narrow these down into more measurable quantities. Here, then, are four immediate questions facing Los Angeles as it heads into its Week 2 matchup with Las Vegas.
4 storylines to watch in the Chargers' Week 2 matchup vs. the Raiders
1. Can Kayode Awosika handle true starting duties at left guard?
Those of you hoping for the left guard platoon to come to an end got your wish, at least temporarily. Trey Pipkins III has been ruled out for the Week 2 matchup with a knee injury, which leaves Kayode Awosika as the team's full-time starter on the left side of rookie center Jake Slaughter.
We obviously didn't get a full sample size from Awosika as he split snaps with Pipkins in Week 1, but he largely looked solid, allowing zero pressures on 25 pass-blocking snaps and maintaining above-average looks in the run game. This week represents an opportunity for him to put that competition away permanently.
But a full complement of snaps along the offensive line is certainly different than a platoon. What does Awosika look like over the full course of this game, and can he start to put some of fans' concerns to rest?
2. Does the offense diversify away from Ladd McConkey?
Last week, the Chargers' offense crystallized upon McConkey as expected. He totaled five receptions for 82 yards and a touchdown, and when he left the game in the second half with a chest injury, the offense as a whole fell flat.
It wasn't surprising that McConkey took on the role he did. With Keenan Allen now playing for the Indianapolis Colts, McConkey will be Justin Herbert's most reliable and most threatening target in terms of YAC opportunities out of the slot. But it was surprising that neither Quentin Johnston nor Tre' Harris were able to break loose for an explosive play over the course of that game.
McConkey remains questionable for the matchup (although he saw a full practice on Friday). Even if he's available, though, expect Mike McDaniel to come out with some opportunities dialed up for the Chargers' other playmakers. It's simply a matter of whether they're able to capitalize.
3. Where do the safety snaps fall with Elijah Molden out?
The Chargers' other major injury heading into Week 2 is the hamstring ailment that will keep starting safety Elijah Molden out of the matchup. RJ Mickens was listed as inactive in Week 1 as Molden, Tony Jefferson, and rookie defender Genesis Smith took on the bulk of snaps in the deeper portions of the field. One would imagine that Mickens will be activated this week with Molden out.
But it's hard to think that the hierarchy between Jefferson, Smith, and Mickens is already set in stone after one week. As good as Smith has been in his reps, do the Chargers eat into his snap share at all by employing Mickens in certain looks? Or is Jefferson, who was initially left on the 53-man roster in a potential cut-down day maneuver, the one in danger here?
It's a storyline that will underlie most of this season for the Chargers defense, and how snaps are distributed with Molden out will give us a better glimpse at the true depth chart in the safety room.
4. How confident will we be feeling heading into the Chargers' toughest portion of the season?
After last week, the Chargers can't afford to simply skate by with a victory against Las Vegas. There's too many questions on both sides of the ball for that to be acceptable.
They need a commanding victory over their division rival, and they need to inspire confidence both in McDaniel's plan for the offense and Chris O'Leary's ability to match Jesse Minter's acumen on the defensive side of the ball. Perhaps if their schedule unfolded differently, the urgency would be less pressing.
But starting in Week 3, the Chargers are going to need to face a gauntlet of matchups, beginning with the Buffalo Bills, Seattle Seahawks, Denver Broncos and Kansas City Chiefs. After their Week 7 bye, they'll face back-to-back matchups against the Los Angeles Rams and Houston Texans, followed by a major Week 10 bout with the Baltimore Ravens.
If they can't comfortably defeat the Raiders with Kirk Cousins at quarterback in Week 2, how will there be any room to feel confident about them surviving that string of games with their playoff hopes still intact?
That being said, the Chargers have the chance to turn the narrative of this season around entirely by the time we reach Week 4 or 5. The groundwork needs to start being layed today against the Raiders.
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