Chargers vs. Raiders: Complete Week 6 Preview for San Diego

San Diego's first divisional game of 2014 will take place in the depths of the Black Hole this coming Sunday as the Chargers take on their hated rivals up north.

The Bolts are riding a four-game winning streak after dismantling the New York Jets this past week, and win No. 5 is on the horizon against a winless Raiders team. Oakland fired coach Dennis Allen following the club's embarrassing loss to Miami overseas and promoted Tony Sparano to an interim position with the hope that a change in leadership could possibly influence a turnaround.

On paper, the Chargers should have no trouble disposing of their AFC West rivals, but those pesky Raiders always play that much harder against their Southern California foes. There's never any love lost between these two squads, and don't expect that to change on Sunday.

Time for a Week 6 preview.

Chargers Week 5 Recap

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Final Score: Chargers 31, Jets 0

Injuries: Donald Brown (concussion), D.J. Fluker (ankle), Malcom Floyd (calf), Darrell Stuckey (quad), Doug Legursky (knee)

The Chargers sent Rex Ryan and crew back to New York with a bad taste in their mouths after scoring the first shutout of the 2014 season. Neither Geno Smith or Michael Vick could provide the spark on offense, and the Jets defense wound up surrendering a season-high 439 yards to San Diego.

Rivers dissected the New York secondary with pinpoint accuracy en route to 288 yards through the air and three touchdowns. The Chargers QB averaged 10.8 yards a pass and had a completion percentage of 71 percent.

What was most pleasing to see, however, was the massive improvements in the run game that allowed Branden Oliver to become the first Chargers running back to rush for over 100 yards in a game this season. The University of Buffalo product came in for the injured Donald Brown and broke out for 114 yards on the ground and a score. Oliver also added 68 yards receiving with a touchdown, and who could forget his 50-yard catch-and-run on a throw from Rivers that looked like it came right out of a Madden video game?

The decisive victory did come at a price, though. Legursky, who was making his second consecutive start at center, was lost for the season with a knee injury, making him the second Chargers center lost for the year along with Nick Hardwick. Rookie Chris Watt finished the game in Legursky's place, but San Diego is now in a real bind at center with Rich Ohrnberger still healing from a back injury. 

Fluker was another casualty on the offensive line. The big right tackle injured his ankle on Sunday and was seen on crutches after the game. Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune reported that Fluker sat out Wednesday's practice, which could force Willie Smith to start against the Raiders.

Brown's absence is also bad news for a backfield that has lost its top three backs in a matter of five weeks. The three-headed monster San Diego started out with is now gone, leaving Oliver and a pair of journeymen backs to assume the rushing load.

The Chargers continue to roll in the win column, but it's not getting any easier with all the injuries piling up.

News and Notes

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Ronnie Brown Back in Town

The Chargers reached out to a former running back on Monday night and promptly signed him to the active roster (no, it wasn't LaDainian Tomlinson).

Ronnie Brown, who played for San Diego the previous two seasons, is back with the Chargers after a brief stint with the Houston Texans. According to a report by Michael Gehlken, Brown was also contacted by the Denver Broncos, who will be without Montee Ball for a month. Already familiar with Mike McCoy's system, Brown elected to rejoin the Chargxers and will likely fill in behind Branden Oliver.

Experience at Center Dwindling

San Diego is down to three options at center: Rich Ohrnberger, Chris Watt and newest Charger Trevor Robinson. Ohrnberger has missed the last two games with a back injury but was at practice yesterday, per Eric D. Williams of ESPN. Next in line is Watt, a rookie from this year's class who has little experience at the position, followed by Robinson, a two-year man signed from the Cincinnati Bengals practice squad this week. 

The Chargers continue to win despite a revolving door at center, but the experience at the position continues to fade with each injury. Seeing Ohrnberger practice fully for the first time in weeks is a good sign for the Bolts, but they'll need to cross their fingers that he can stay healthy for the remaining 12 games—kind of the same feeling you get when your car is out of gas but the nearest pump is a ways out.

Bolts Defense Pitching a Shutout the Last Six Quarters

Holding teams scoreless in the NFL is a pretty hefty order considering all the rule changes that favor offenses nowadays, but the Chargers have managed to record goose eggs since the third quarter against Jacksonville in Week 4. As a result, San Diego's defense leads the league in average points allowed at 12.6 and total points this season at 63. What John Pagano has managed to do with this unit is pretty remarkable if you put into perspective what he's had to deal with in terms of injuries and personnel. 

Pagano is getting production out of linebackers in their mid-30s (Freeney and Johnson), infusing second and third-teamers into games. Still, his unit is tied for sixth in the league with 12 sacks, even without one of its better pass-rushers (Melvin Ingram).

San Diego's offense has been stealing the show with nearly 30 points a week, but it's the defense that has been making life easier on Philip Rivers and Co.

Injury Report

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Name	Position	Injury	Practice Status on Thursday
Keenan Allen	WR	Quadriceps	Limited
Jerry Attaochu	OLB	Hamstring	Limited
Donald Brown	RB	Concussion	Did Not Practice
Donald Butler	ILB	Shoulder	Full Practice
Malcom Floyd	WR	Calf	Limited
D.J. Fluker	OT	Ankle	Did Not Practice
Dwight Freeney	OLB	Knee	Did Not Practice
David Johnson	TE	Knee/Shoulder	Full Practice
Jarret Johnson	OLB	Back/Ankle	Limited
Cordarro Law	OLB	Ankle	Limited
Ryan Mathews	RB	Knee	Did Not Practice
Rich Ohrnberger	C/G	Back	Full Practice
Darrell Stuckey	S	Quadriceps	Limited
Manti Te'o	ILB	Foot	Did Not Practice
Reggie Walker	LB	Ankle	Limited
Shareece Wright	CB	Knee	Did Not Practice

** courtesy of Chargers Team Website **

Based on the participation in practice this week, I'd say Te'o, Mathews and Wright are given absences this Sunday as they continue to heal from their respective injuries. Brown is new to the injury list this week, and a concussion doesn't aid his cause in getting back on the field anytime soon. Fluker could also be missing in action against the Raiders, which would force San Diego to play its fourth different lineup on the offensive line.

Freeney not practicing on Thursday is likely due to the coaching staff wanting to rest the veteran. As Eric D. Williams pointed out, Freeney played a season-high 47 snaps against the Jets, but at his age, you'd like to manage his snap count in order to keep him fresh over the course of the year. Attaochu, who looks on track to play Sunday, will allow Pagano to spell Freeney a bit. 

Ohrnberger returning to practice is a good sign that he'll be ready to go for the Chargers. If he isn't ready to go, Chris Watt would get his first start—though not at the position he was drafted to play. 

X-Factors and Matchups to Watch

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Branden Oliver versus Khalil Mack

Former teammates collide this Sunday when Mack and Oliver are reunited on the football field for the first time this season. Mack, the fifth overall pick by Oakland, leads the Raiders with three tackles for loss and has tallied 24 tackles total in his first four games. With Oliver expected to pace San Diego's rushing attack, it should come as no surprise that the former Bulls will cross paths at one point or another.

Oliver touched on that potential scenario with The Loose Cannons on Xtra 1360 Fox Sports San Diego, and he insisted he got the better of Mack when the two practiced together before entering the pros. We'll see if that's the case when the two square off on Sunday.

LaMarr Woodley and Justin Tuck versus King Dunlap and Willie Smith/D.J. Fluker

Woodley and Tuck haven't played at the same level in Silver and Black as they once did with their former teams, but that doesn't mean San Diego can completely ignore them. The duo has 118.5 career sacks, and the Chargers could be without their starting tackle on the right side. Sio Moore could also pose a problem, especially if Fluker is unavailable to reenact last year's body slam incident.

Derek Carr versus Chargers Pass Rush

Assuming Carr returns from the injuries he sustained against Miami, San Diego will be facing its second rookie quarterback in three weeks. Carr, the second-round pick of the Raiders in this year's draft, is off to a so-so start with Oakland, but like most first-year QBs, he has struggled at times with turning the ball over. Carr has thrown four interceptions in four starts, and he'll now be pitted against a Chargers defense that rattled fellow rookie signal-caller Blake Bortles for three sacks and two interceptions.

X-Factor: Branden Oliver

Naturally, Philip Rivers would be a safe bet here, but Oakland's secondary has done surprisingly well this season, holding opponents to 207 yards passing per game. Will that stop Rivers from having a good game? Probably not, but another alternative would be to expose Oakland's weakness in stopping the run. The Raiders are allowing 158.3 yards on the ground (31st in the NFL), an area the Chargers should focus on with their new stud running back.

Prediction

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San Diego is only a seven-point favorite over the host Raiders, which isn't all that alarming even with Oakland's struggles this season. Yes, the Raiders are 0-4 and now under the direction of an interim coach, but the Silver and Black are like a thorn in San Diego's side, always showing up for a hard-fought game in recent years.

The last time the Chargers visited the Black Hole, they were bounced 27-17. San Diego came out flat and stayed that way until the final whistle. 

I don't see that happening again, but I do expect the Raiders to come out with a little more enthusiasm under Tony Sparano. They realize they have nothing to lose and everything to gain, so they'll stop at nothing to try and spoil the run of their hated rivals.

That being said, the Chargers are playing at a tremendous pace, and trap games appear to be a thing of the past for Mike McCoy's club. As long as Philip Rivers can keep lighting up the scoreboard and the defense continues to hold strong, it's tough to see Oakland knock off one of the NFL's hottest teams.

Prediction: Chargers 29, Raiders 17