Are you ready for some football? The 1-0 Los Angeles Chargers will travel 269 miles northeast on the I-15 freeway to take on the 1-0 Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium.
“Monday Night Football has been something big to all of us,” said Raiders Head Coach Pete Carroll. “It is a big deal. We have to handle it really well. If you look at our days in Seattle, we’ve done pretty well on Monday night.”
With the Seattle Seahawks, HC Pete Carroll was 14-4 on Monday Night Football (MNF). Carroll will look to continue his success with the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 2 of the NFL season.
Here are three matchups to watch during this primetime showdown between AFC West rivals.
Maxx Crosby vs. Trey Pipkins III
Los Angeles Chargers left tackle Rashawn Slater suffered a season-ending injury on August 7th. With Rashawn Slater out for the season, the Chargers have decided to move Joe Alt from right tackle to left. Joe Alt was selected 5th overall in the 2024 NFL Draft.
In Week 1 against the Kansas City Chiefs, Alt was outstanding. According to Next Gen Stats, Joe Alt did not allow any pressures on 41 pass blocks. He earned an elite PFF pass blocking grade of 91.4, the highest in the NFL.
However, with Joe Alt on the left side of the offensive line now, the Chargers have a new right tackle — Trey Pipkins III. Pipkins struggled in Week 1, allowing five pressures on 41 pass blocks. This week, Trey Pipkins will battle in the trenches with Raiders star pass rusher Maxx Crosby.
Last week in New England, Maxx Crosby played 70 snaps along the defensive line—83% of those snaps on the left side of the defensive formation (LE, LEO). Crosby recorded one sack and seven total pressures.
If the Raiders want to win this game, Maxx Crosby will need to wreck the Chargers’ game plan on Monday Night.
Justin Herbert vs. Raiders Zone Coverage
Raiders Head Coach Pete Carroll and Raiders Defensive Coordinator Patrick Graham are known to operate out of a Cover 3 base defense. Cover 3 is a single-high zone coverage with three deep zone defenders and four underneath.
In 2024, the Raiders ran Cover 3 on 33.1% of dropbacks. For reference, the Seattle Seahawks under Pete Carroll ran Cover 3 40.4% of dropbacks, according to Next Gen Stats. In Week 1 against the New England Patriots, the Raiders played a Cover 3 scheme on 41% of passing plays.
This is where things get interesting. Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert excels against Cover 3 defenses. According to NFL Pro, Justin Herbert had a league-leading 121.3 passer rating against Cover 3 last season. In addition, when the Chiefs ran this coverage in Week 1, Herbert completed 6-of-9 passes for 109 yards and one touchdown.
“He (Justin Herbert) is such a factor,” Pete Carroll said. “He’s got great skills to really make it difficult on the defense. A normal play can be played, defended, rushed well, and all that, and then something else happens, whether he’s scrambling to throw it or scrambling to run it. And that factor is the most difficult factor in football to control.”
The Raiders’ defensive backs must disguise their coverages on Monday night, or Justin Herbert could have an impressive day through the air.
Keep Your Friends Close, but Your Enemies Closer
A coaching rivalry is renewed as Pete Carroll and Jim Harbaugh face off for the first time in 11 years. In the National Football League, Pete Carroll holds a slight edge with a 5-4 record vs. Jim Harbaugh. These two coaches will add another chapter to their historic rivalry on Monday night.
“They’re a good, hard, tough, solid football team. Jimmy, that’s the kind of teams he puts together. He’s been doing it for years. Well-balanced, play good defense, run the football with commitment,” Pete Carroll said to Raiders Nation Radio host JT The Brick. “I’ve played against him a bunch of times, and I have great respect for what the whole family does in football. It’s going to be a very difficult opponent for us.”
–Follow Dan Loya on X @DLoya_NFL
