The Battle of the Ducks
We did not expect for this to happen, but it's going down.
Quarterback Derek Carr suffered a groin injury running out of bounds in the redzone in the first half, and as of halftime, his status to return to the game is questionable.
With his injury, backup QB and Heisman winner Marcus Mariota has stepped in to battle across from fellow Oregon alum Justin Herbert. The two former Ducks have both put up great games in the first half with Justin Herbert throwing for 194 yards and two touchdowns. Mariota has looked stellar in Carr's place going 5/5 for 80 yards and a touchdown in his first action in a Raiders uniform.
Hopefully Carr's injury wasn't serious and No. 4 will be healthy moving forward, but Mariota has done everything in his power to keep the Silver and Black in this game.
Raiders can't get off the field
The Raiders defense has looked more intense under interim defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli. Only problem is that it hasn't been effective on third downs.
The Silver and Black defense has been dominated by Justin Herbert and the Chargers offense on third-down situations in the first half. The Chargers have been able to go 5-for-7 on third downs alone.
If the Raiders defense can start holding up on third downs and give the ball back to their offense, this might be a much different game in the second half.
Run the dang ball
With the offense line looking hungry and healthy, they must continue to rely on the run attack.
There were a handful of run plays executed by the Raiders in the first half, including one big-time cutback by Josh Jacobs for 20 of his 33 first-half rushing yards. Mariota also looked dynamic on an 11-yard RPO.
The Raiders offense has all the tools to move the ball on the ground against a hobbled Chargers defense, and it might be wise for them to do so in the second half.
