2020 Preview: Las Vegas Raiders at Los Angeles Chargers

While the 2020 football season is still months away, it's never too early to start previewing the season. In this series, I'll preview every game in the Raiders' regular-season and take a look into each opponent. In Week 9, the Raiders will travel to brand-new SoFi Stadium to play against the Los Angeles Chargers.

Chargers looking to bounce back

After a disappointing 5-11 record last year, the Los Angeles Chargers made some off-season moves that look promising.

Their first-round pick was quarterback Justin Herbert from Oregon, who completed 66.8 percent of his passes and threw for 32 touchdowns last season. He'll be competing against Tyrod Taylor for the starting job.

Besides, former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick might be a target for the backup position if he decides to resume his football career.

The Chargers finished fifth in the league in pass defense last season and were ranked 14th in the league in points allowed.

To improve on these numbers, the Chargers traded up in the first round and took linebacker Kenneth Murray Jr. from Oklahoma.

Combine Murray with the off-season free agency signing of four-time Pro Bowler cornerback Chris Harris, who won Super Bowl XLIX with the Denver Broncos, and the Chargers' defense should have more success this season.

Attack from the Left

During the off-season, it's hard to judge a team and how well they'll be playing nine weeks into the regular season. However, we can still look at the personnel openings and determine where there might be a problem.

For the Chargers, the apparent opening lies at left tackle. With the departure of Russel Okung to the Carolina Panthers, the battle will begin between Sam Tevi and Trey Pipkins for the starting position.

This is the point of attack for the Raiders.

Las Vegas Raiders' second-year defensive end Maxx Crosby needs to step up and attack the quarterback, whether it's Taylor, Herbert, or Kaepernick.

By doing so, this will force the Chargers to run the ball more often with running back Austin Ekeler, who is mediocre at best. Last year, Ekeler ran for 557 yards, averaged 4.2 yards per carry and ran into the end zone only three times.

These stops, in return, give more possessions to the offense.

With the tools quarterback Derek Carr has in his back pocket with first-round pick wide receiver Henry Ruggs III, tight ends Darren Waller and Jason Witten, and the potential with running back Josh Jacobs, the Raiders should be able to get some points on the board.

In other words, the key to defeating the Chargers is simple—attack from the left.

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