It’s rivalry week for the Raiders and Chargers, and unlike many of their recent matchups, it feels like the Chargers might need a win on Sunday more than the Raiders.
The Chargers were one of the most disappointing teams in the league in week 1, and speculation has been that head coach Jim Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel are in the early stages of a complicated relationship.
Harbaugh and company have high hopes for the season, but beginning the season 0-2 start with home losses to the Raiders and Cardinals would leave a complicated path to turning the season around.
Shots fired from Las Vegas…
Raider Nation Radio host ‘JT the Brick’ took a gentle jab at McDaniel and his “no socks and jeans that only go down to his calves” on Monday, but he also issued a warning to the organization if they aren’t able to beat the Raiders on Sunday.
“I will tell you something that will be the hottest, flaming, hottest take, you hear on the radio all week in Los Angeles and I’m going to get to it first so the copycats in LA who stream my show, copy my show, they are mesmerized by my monologue every day. They will clip this and they will take this,” JT said on his Raider Nation Radio show on Monday.
“Let me make this clear to our global audience. If the Chargers lose to the Raiders, and I’m not saying they’re going to lose. I’m not guaranteeing anything. Their season is over. It’s dead, it’s finished, it’s over. There is no chance they could come back because the league gifted them their first two games at home against the Cardinals and the Raiders. The Raiders were the worst team in football.”
“Sorry, it’s fact, not fiction. I thought the Cardinals were worse than the Raiders. How in God’s name did the Chargers get those two games to open with? That’s incredible to me. No one’s talking about that other than me. So if the Chargers lose, they’re 0-2 at home, not 0-2, 0-2 at home, and they burn two losses against two of the teams that were ranked the worst in football, their season is over. Dead. Finished. They cannot come back from that.”
Chargers entering familiar territory for Raider fans?
If the Raiders learned anything from a year ago, it’s that coaching staffs can be complicated and poor alignment among the coaches is a risky proposition.
Chip Kelly wasn’t a good fit with Pete Carroll, and McDaniel might be an even worse fit with Harbaugh.
There’s no question McDaniel is one of the brightest offensive coaches in the NFL, but he’s one of the most aggressive play callers in the league working with a head coach who would be happy to run the ball 40 times a game.
A year ago, Carroll went public with his frustration that Kelly wasn’t running the ball more, and it’s a safe bet Harbaugh wasn’t happy with Omarion Hampton only getting 12 carries in a game that was within one score for three quarters.
Harbaugh and McDaniel will be a pair to keep an eye on as the season goes on.
Raiders and Chargers have difficult schedules coming…
After the Raiders, the Chargers next seven games will include the Bills, Seahawks, Broncos, Chiefs, Rams, Texans and Ravens.
The Raiders schedule after week 2 is only a little less intimidating with the Saints, Chiefs, Patriots, Bills, Rams, Jets and 49ers on tap.
x: @raidersbeat