PLAYER NOTES
–RT Donald Penn, a 13-year veteran, was placed on injured reserve Wednesday (groin). Penn was a left tackle until the Raiders drafted Kolton Miller in the first round.
–T Brandon Parker, a 6-8, 305-pound rookie third round draft pick out of North Carolina A&T, stepped in at right tackle when Donald Penn was injured against the Cleveland Browns and will start Sunday against the Los Angeles Chargers.
–CB Daryl Worley, a third-year pro signed as a free agent, rejoined the team Monday. He looked excellent in OTAs and is expected to be on the roster Sunday against the Chargers.
–TE Jared Cook leads NFL tight ends with 370 yards receiving. Against the Browns he caught eight passes for 110 yards and two TDs.
PLAYER SPOTLIGHT: RT Brandon Parker. This third-round rookie out of North Carolina A&T took over at right tackle Sunday when Donald Penn was injured. Parker did well against the Browns and this may mark the changing of the guard, er, tackle. With Penn on IR, Parker becomes the starter against the Chargers.
GAME PLAN: The Raiders must use their offense wisely to play defense against a well-tooled Chargers offensive machine. Most of the attention is on Derek Carr, as is usually the case for a quarterback, but the key weapons should be hard-pounding running backs Marshawn Lynch and Doug Martin. That is especially so considering the Raiders are starting rookies at both tackle spots and even without pass rusher extraordinaire Joey Bosa (foot), the Chargers can pressure quarterbacks.
On defense, the Raiders must find a way to pressure quarterback Philip Rivers because given too much time it is impossible to cover receivers Keenan Allen and it now appears that Mike Williams, the team’s No. 1 pick in 2017, is healthy and ready to pester defenses. As if that isn’t enough, running back Melvin Gordon is a load both as a runner and receiver.
MATCHUPS TO WATCH
–Raiders Ts Kolton Miller and Brandon Parker vs. Chargers DE Melvin Ingram. The Raiders should be happy that edge rusher Joey Bosa is still out with a bad foot but Ingram is no slouch and had 1.5 sacks in the season opener against the Buffalo Bills.
–Raiders CBs Gareon Conley and Rashaan Melvin vs. an array of talented Chargers WRs, including Keenan Allen, who leads the team with 24 catches for 282 yards.
–Raiders pass blocking, including backs, vs. Chargers S Derwin James, a first-round draft pick (No. 18 overall) out of Florida State who is particularly dangerous when he lines up in the box. He has 26 combined tackles, three sacks and two forced fumbles. He is listed as a strong favorite by Bovada, to be the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Year.
