The key in this game for Oakland is going to be the offense. Its one good performance this season came in Week 6 against this very same San Diego team. Derek Carr had the best game of his young career, and the Raiders scored a season-high 28 points.
Carr might not play at the same level this Sunday, but he has to come close. How well the Raiders do Sunday will be decided by whether or not the offense can stay on the field and score points.
Of course, it will also help if the Raiders can get anything out of the running game, which has been nonexistent the entire season. The rushing attack's inefficiency has been a hot topic in Oakland. But while everyone agrees that it's a problem, no one can seem to figure out exactly what's wrong or how to fix it. Sunday, the Raiders will get another shot at trying to find a solution.
The improvement Oakland has shown since Tony Sparano took over as head coach, combined with how bad San Diego has looked in its last three games, makes this a very winnable game for the Raiders. This might not look like a close matchup up on paper. But the Raiders are playing better than their 0-9 record suggests, and the Chargers' performance has suffered a severe drop-off since they were 5-1.
If the Raiders come out to start the game the way they did last week, they'll be in great position to get that elusive first win.
Will Oakland be able to take advantage of the Chargers' struggles? We'll find out Sunday starting at 4:05 p.m. live from Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego. Keep it here for live scores and updates throughout the game. Jump in on the conversation in the comments section belo...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Oakland Raiders
