The Los Angeles Chargers had a barn burner against the Chiefs in Brazil, and I’m still not over it.
As they head into a Monday night game in Las Vegas, here’s what to be on the lookout for.
Minimizing Raiders’ Big, Explosive PlaysÂ
One of the biggest offensive threats on the Raiders is tight end Brock Bowers. In Bowers’ rookie year, he had the most receiving yards (1,194 yards), receiving touchdowns (five), and yards after catch (596) of the entire Raiders team.
Raiders wide receiver Jakobi Meyers was a close second with 1,027 receiving yards and four receiving touchdowns.
The Chargers’ defense has to be prepared for Raiders quarterback Geno Smith to connect with these guys a lot, and Meyers even more if Bowers is unable to play due to injury. Meyers had 10 targets against New England on Sunday while Bowers had eight.Â
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In the game against the Chiefs, cornerback Donte Jackson was all over the field. He had an almost interception on a pass meant for Chiefs wide receiver Hollywood Brown during the first quarter, and a hard takedown on Chiefs wide receiver Tyquan Thornton during the second, managing to stop him from getting the first down on a third-and-4. Despite some great coverage, sometimes the Chargers couldn’t always contain the Chiefs’ receiving core.
Chiefs wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster had a 16-yard gain in the second quarter, breaking tackles along the way. And Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes had some successful deep shots downfield, in particular one long throw to Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, who proceeded to outrun everyone, tiptoeing along the sideline and into the end zone.
And right before the Chargers’ last drive of the game, Mahomes threw a bomb to wide receiver Marquise “Hollywood” Brown on a fourth-and-7, and Brown got a first-and-goal.
The Chargers were solid in receiver coverage last year, and ESPN currently has the Chargers’ safety unit ranked seventh in 2025 positional group rankings.
Coverage of these powerful receivers will mean that safety Elijah Molden and cornerbacks like Tarheeb Still, Cam Hart, and Jackson have to turn up the dial even more. Because Brock and Meyers, along with rookie running back Ashton Jeanty, will be trying to break the defense down.Â
Enhanced Run Game From Raiders
The Chargers need to contain Jeanty, as it’s the first time since the departure of running back Josh Jacobs that the Raiders have had a true threat in that position.
Jeanty was drafted sixth overall with a crazy amount of rushing yards (2,595) in the final regular and postseason of his college career, resulting in 29 touchdowns, and his yards after contact grew by almost 1,000 from 2023 (981) to 2024 (1,970).
The Chargers’ run defense was good last year, though some of the more high-powered running backs gave them trouble.
Now, Jeanty is a long way from being Derrick Henry or James Conner, but the Chargers are missing some of their big run stoppers, like defensive linemen Poona Ford who went to the Rams, so it will be up to players like linebacker Daiyan Henley as well as safety Derwin James Jr. to make sure the run defense doesn’t fall below the 2024 standard.Â
Intense Pass Rush Pressure On Justin HerbertÂ
Defensive end Maxx Crosby never makes life easy for Herbert and sacked him during Week 1 of 2024. And it’s important to note that Raiders defensive end Malcolm Koonce was on injured reserve last year, so between him and Crosby, this makes for double trouble for the Chargers’ offensive line.
Though to his credit, left tackle Joe Alt performed well in his first outing against Crosby in Week 1 of 2024, and considering how well he did against the Chiefs, he’s going to be a big part of keeping this line afloat in this game.
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Overall, despite having to move some pieces around and the illness that right guard Mekhi Becton had, the Chargers’ offensive line was sound against the Chiefs. Not perfect, as former Charger and current Chiefs linebacker Drue Tranquil sacked Herbert twice, but pretty darn good for having some heavy-hitters like defensive lineman Chris Jones and defensive end George Karlaftis in the mix.
The pressure will be intense from these Raiders defensive players, but hopefully the Chargers’ O-line can have a repeat performance.Â
Whether The Chargers Will Lean More Into The Run Or The Pass
The Chargers have been putting the emphasis on the run game, but this last matchup brought fewer rushes and more passes. The Chargers only had 90 rushing yards, the second most coming from Herbert (32), while he threw for over 300 passing yards.
Rookie running back Omarion Hampton had some good gains, while running back Najee Harris played a limited number of snaps.
There may be more of a run game in Week 2, since Harris is likely to see an increased snap count, and this will be Hampton’s second outing. Herbert was so in command in Brazil that it would’ve been a shame to take the ball away from him. But hopefully, there will be a balance between the run and the pass in Vegas.Â
More Dominant Defensive Play By Linebacker Daiyan Henley
Henley was an absolute monster against the Chiefs. He had a beautiful sack on Mahomes during the second quarter, where it was almost like a dance. He stuck with Mahomes long enough to eventually catch up when he scrambled, and when Mahomes tried to change directions, Henley wrapped both arms around his legs and spun him to the ground.
And since Mahomes had been successfully running away from the Chargers’ defense all night, it felt a little sweeter watching someone finally get him.Â
Henley also had a takedown on Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco during the third quarter.
When looking at total tackles (assisted and solo) on ESPN, Henley had the second most on the team. The whole defense should be applauded, but Henley did something special, and it’ll be interesting to see how an older quarterback fares against him on Monday night.