LA Chargers: AFC West power rankings after Week 4 results
By Jason Reed
3. Las Vegas Raiders
The Las Vegas Raiders' loss to the LA Chargers in Week 4 should have been humbling for the team. The Raiders were off to a surprise 3-0 start and when you really look at it, the Raiders got some good breaks to be in that position.
Two of their wins were in overtime, one of which came against a back-up quarterback in Jacoby Brissett. The other, while a really good game for Vegas, would have been a loss if Daniel Carlson had the same missed field goal that he had at SoFi Stadium in Week 4.
The Raiders very well could have been 1-2 with their lone win coming against the Pittsburgh Steelers, who have been a dumpster fire offensively since Week 1. The Chargers humbled the Raiders, not only beating them but thoroughly outplaying them and revealing some of their weaknesses.
MORE: Quarterback grades from Monday Night Football win over Vegas
First, the Raiders' interior offensive line is terrible and the Bolts were not only able to get pressure on Derek Carr but completely stopped the running attack. This is one of the worst run defenses in the league in the beginning of the year we are talking about.
Defensively, the Raiders were not able to get the same pressure to Justin Herbert that they were getting in games prior. They did start landing more pressure in the second half but by then it was too late. Plus, by committing so much pressure on the edge the team was opening the running lanes and Austin Ekeler ran all over them.
The Raiders are still a good football team and there is a decent chance that they are in the running for a wild-card spot at the end of the year. However, the LA Chargers brought them back down to earth and showed that they are a lot more average than most people thought after Week 3.