Chargers vs. Raiders: Breaking Down the Pivotal AFC West Matchup

The AFC West is arguably the most wide open division in the NFL this season.

Even with Peyton Manning the Denver Broncos still have much to prove, mainly on third down defense.

As for the Kansas City Chiefs, they got shredded by the Atlanta Falcons and Romeo Crennel's defense was exploited. That leaves us with the San Diego Chargers and Oakland Raiders.

Just like the Broncos and Chiefs in 2011, each were in the divisional race down the stretch. With the AFC West expecting to be close again in 2012, that only intensifies the implications of this Week 1 rivalry game.

Therefore, in a primetime game that features Philip Rivers and Darren McFadden, let's break down all three phases of Chargers-Raiders and see who comes out on top.

Chargers Offense vs. Raiders Defense

Everything for the Raiders here obviously comes down to stopping Philip Rivers.

The passing game remains the strength of San Diego and Rivers will spread the field early and often.

So, to limit the production mixing up the blitz package and playing press coverage will suffice.

Despite being excessively vulnerable against the run and pass last season, one area of Oakland's defense that had solid success was its pass rush. In this game, having the corners line up with inside leverage will take away any slant or double move patterns from the outside receivers.

Using the boundary as an extra defender, the Raiders can then blitz up the middle and use a safety to help double Antonio Gates. As for the Chargers, Norv Turner's offense must utilize bunch formations with trips (three receivers) to one side and work over the middle.

If Oakland applies pressure from anywhere it has to come up the gut, because leaving Gates one on one is always a mismatch. However, blitzing up the middle also opens up the intermediate passing level for any receiver.

In turn, expect the Raiders to counter-balance that by rolling down safety Tyvon Branch, their best defensive player. The Chargers need to stick to their strength of throwing the ball, but execution will come down to the receivers beating man coverage.

Raiders Offense vs. Chargers Defense

Unlike the Chargers, Oakland's offensive strength is slamming with running back Darren McFadden.

Defending the run is also still a weakness for San Diego, so don't anticipate much from Carson Palmer unless the Bolts stack the box with nine guys (which will never happen).

Run DMC is easily the Raiders' best offensive player and his ball-carrier vision alone will accumulate yards. The man can be fed off tackle, counters, sweeps, traps and dives, so any type of running play is to be expected.

The best part of this is setting up play-action. San Diego's secondary does present solid talent in Eric Weddle and Quentin Jammer, and both are capable of baiting Palmer into making multiple ill-advised throws.

So, trying to get either to bite on the run only helps the Oakland passing game.

That said, because of Oakland's speed and acceleration at receiver Covers 2 and 3 will be more effective. For one, zones create coverage help from anywhere on the field. Secondly, a zone also allows a defense to react quicker against the run.

The Bolts will play man-to-man on occasion, but letting the receivers go deep just to run off the cornerbacks makes for one less defender on the outside. And if McFadden gets to the outside when that occurs, then it's game over for San Diego.

Special Teams Impact

The special teams matchup between the Chargers and Raiders is rather intriguing.

The punt returners—Eddie Royal for San Diego and Denarius Moore for Oakland—are quite a threat to take one back, so it will come down to kicking and punting.

Nate Kaeding is a solid kicker for the Bolts as he knocked 14 from 40-plus yards in 2011 and has missed only two extra points throughout his career. And punter Mike Scifres is coming off his best season, averaging 47.5 yards per attempt with 17 inside the 20-yard-line.

Unfortunately for San Diego, they pale in comparison the NFL's version of Bebop and Rocksteady: Sebastian Janikowski and Shane Lechler.

Janikowski comes in at 6'1", 258 pounds and can boom from literally anywhere on the field inside of 70 yards. Last season he connected 10 times from 50-plus yards and was 88.6 percent on all attempts.

So, as long as Oakland's offense gets near midfield the Raiders basically have three points.

Lechler on the other hand, comes in at 6'2", 230 pounds, averaged 50.8 yards per punt in 2011 and blasted one 80 yards that almost put a crater in the moon. In short, Oakland wins the field position battle easily.

Predicted Result

If there's one area where Oakland and San Diego will come down to it's time of possession.

For as obvious as that sounds, each team is at a disadvantage when it comes to the other's strength.

The Raiders simply need to control the clock and keep Philip Rivers off the field. San Diego's offensive is still quite explosive and has the potential to score at any time. Therefore, limiting Rivers' possessions is vital.

As for the Chargers, they can't afford to give Oakland field position. Because of Sebastian Janikowski's leg, the Raiders can rack up field goal after field goal.

However, controlling the clock and moving the ball enough to change the field position doesn't account for any situation that will force Oakland to pass more. No ground game, even with Darren McFadden, will get an offense into scoring position against limited time. So it will be important for the Bolts to keep the Raiders inside their own 20 to start drives, especially at the end of the game.

Regarding time of possession, though, winning this area comes from having a stellar rushing attack. Unfortunately for Bolts fans, running back Ryan Mathews is out according to the Chargers' official website.

This gives Oakland an even greater competitive advantage which leads to a Week 1 win.

Raiders 23, Chargers 17

Follow John Rozum on Twitter.