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Raiders Rushing Game Crucial Against Chargers In Week 7

By Abraham Gutierrez

Following a much-needed bye week filled with "self-scouting," the (2-3) Oakland Raiders look to get back to their winning ways when they travel to Southern California for a Week 7 showdown with the (2-4) San Diego Chargers. Qualcomm Stadium will be the site for this AFC West matchup that could determine which team remains relevant in the race for a division crown. Opening kickoff for this intrastate clash is scheduled for Sunday afternoon at 1:05 p.m. PT and it will be broadcast live on CBS Sports.

So, what is self-scouting exactly?

"Self-scouting basically is – you take a look at yourself over the first five games to start the season and see if you're trending the way you want to in terms of developing players, concepts and principles that you believe in," explained Raiders head coach Jack Del Rio during the bye. "You take a pause and a good look at yourself over the first five weeks, make sure you're on schedule for where you want to be and make any adjustments that are necessary."

It's certainly going to be interesting to see what types of adjustments Del Rio and his staff will make to try and get things going in the right direction, and in turn, avoid a disastrous three-game skid. Going up against a high-powered offense like the Chargers, things can get away from Raider Nation in the blink of an eye.

Chargers 2015 NFL Season Record

With one of the most deceiving records in all of football, the Bolts are not to be taken lightly under any circumstance. Sure, they come into this pivotal Week 7 matchup having lost four games this year. However, their first six weeks could easily be considered the toughest stretch for any team in the entire National Football League.

Despite quarterback Philip Rivers' valiant efforts, the Chargers have been bested by teams with winning records, including two of the NFL's best in (6-0) Cincinnati and (6-0) Green Bay, as well as close losses against (4-2) Pittsburgh and (3-2) Minnesota. As if that weren't alarming enough, there's this team's dominance over the Raiders in their most recent encounters.

Sunday's game marks the 112th time the Chargers and Raiders have crossed paths. And while Oaktown leads the overall series, 59-50-2, San Diego comes in riding a three-game winning streak, and have won decisions over the Silver and Black in six of their last seven head-to-heads.

Chargers On Offense

As stated above, this team's success depends on the play of five-time Pro Bowl signal-caller, Philip Rivers. In his 12th season out of North Carolina State, the 33-year-old gunslinger has proven he still belongs among the league's upper echelon of his position.

Entering Week 7, Rivers leads the league in passing, tallying an eye-popping 2,116 yards on 177-for-253 pass attempts, 12 touchdowns and five interceptions for a cool quarterback rating of 102.8. Because of his stellar play, the Chargers offense ranks tops in the NFL in total yards (433) and passing yards per game (346.3), but lack balance as they place 29th in rushing yards per game (86.7), and 15th in points scored (22.7).

Chargers On Defense

Defensively is where Derek Carr and the Raiders offense need to expose this San Diego team, particularly against the rush. The Chargers start Week 7 having given up an average of 132.5 yards per game, which could enable struggling halfback Latavius Murray to have a much-needed career-day.

In addition to their woes on the ground, Bolts defensive coordinator John Pagano must also be very conscious of how many points his defense yields. With six games in the books, this "D" has shown a tendency to give plenty of crooked numbers, evidenced by the fact that they rank 26th in the league, allowing 26.8 points per contest.

Unfortunately for the Raiders, this defense excels against the passing game, as they come in ranked seventh in the NFL, giving up just under 222 passing yards per week. Finally, there's the total yards category, where this group ranks in the middle of the pack. Surrendering 354.3 yards per contest, this is also another area where the Raiders running backs can make their presence felt and have a true impact on the outcome of the game.

Chargers Players To Watch

Offensively, there's no question that the main player to watch is ultra-aggressive signal-caller, Philip Rivers. However, a quarterback is only good enough as his receivers, and thus, the player to watch in this instance is none other than the NFL's third best wide receiver, Keenan Allen. In his third NFL season out of Cal, this former Golden Bear has been on the receiving end of 53 of Rivers' throws, collecting 601 receiving yards and three scores.

On defense, it was stated that the Chargers are at their best when defending the pass, which also happens to be the Raiders' modus operandi on offense. As a result, Carr must be extra cautious with the four players responsible for the team's interception total: (CB) Patrick Robinson, (SS) Jimmy Wilson, (CB) Steve Williams and (OLB) Kyle Emanuel. Also worth noting is the play of outside linebacker, Jeremiah Attaochu, who will be a threat in the pass rush, as he leads the team with 4 sacks.

Raiders vs. Chargers 2015 NFL Week 7 Betting Lines

If NFL Week 7 oddsmakers are on their game, Raiders fans will be very disappointed when the clock at Qualcomm Stadium hits triple-zeros. That's because NFL betting lines for this contest indicate that the San Diego Chargers [-5] are projected to defeat their arch-nemesis by at least a field goal and a safety.

Nevertheless, those betting on the road underdogs should have plenty to smile about, as the Oakland Raiders [+5] will enjoy a rather lofty five-point cushion away from the East Bay. Finally, whenever there are two teams that can move the ball (offensively) going at, it can only mean one thing: Defense will not be a factor, as the OVER/UNDER has been calculated at a combined total of 48 points in this one.

Abe Gutierrez's (Twitter: @GutierrezAbe) passion led him to ditch law school journey in order to launch his own publishing company. His expertise make him a valued addition to Examiner.com, AXS.com and the CBS-Sports family. Some of his work can be found on CBS-Miami (Dolphins), CBS-LosAngeles (Chargers), CBS-BayArea (Raiders), CBS-NewYork (NY Jets), CBS-TampaBay (Buccaneers), AXS.com, Examiner.com and other online publications.

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