The LA Chargers are coming off of a huge Week 3 win in which the team played the first loser-leaves-town match of the season against the Minnesota Vikings. Both teams were 0-2 heading into the game and could not afford a 0-3 start to the 2023 season.
Now the Chargers take on another team with the same record in Week 4 in the first divisional matchup of the year. Los Angeles hosts the Las Vegas Raiders as both teams look to get back to .500 and stop the season from getting ugly before it truly kicks into gear.
There is a sense of urgency for both sides. The Chargers have two really tough games after the bye against the Dallas Cowboys and Kansas City Chiefs so winning this game is paramount. For the Raiders, a win can keep the wheels from falling off as the wagon is already starting to seriously teeter just three weeks into the season.
It has gotten ugly quickly in Vegas so much to the point that star receiver Davante Adams seems to be questioning his future with the team. Adams made it very clear after Week 3's loss that he plays to win, sending a firm message to the Raiders' brass in the process.
𝗧𝗥𝗘𝗡𝗗𝗜𝗡𝗚: #Raiders star WR Davante Adams says he doesn’t have time to “wait around” after the team’s slow start to the season…
— JPAFootball (@jasrifootball) September 25, 2023
“I don’t got time to just wait around… it’s not my mentality to take all season to figure it out.”
Davante wants to win. pic.twitter.com/qlk6QzEhnJ
Chargers could end Davante Adams' Raiders career in Week 4
It is clear that Adams is already evaluating his future with the Raiders and another loss in Week 4 might be the final dagger in his Raiders' career. If he is already sending this kind of message to the team after a 1-2 start then it is only going to get worse if the Chargers blow the Raiders out to give them a 1-3 record.
Vegas has some relief in the upcoming weeks with the opponents that the team will face but even then, Adams' desire to be moved may grow. Adams plays his former team in Week 5. Things are different in Green Bay but it might be a reminder to Adams just how great it was when he was on a winning team.
A loss to the Chargers would give the Raiders a 7-14 overall record since Adams came to town. That is a far cry from the 26-7 combined record the Packers had in Adams' last two seasons with the team. Adams is not someone who is used to losing at this rate and the Chargers would love to thrust the final dagger into his relationship with the Raiders.