5 Final Thoughts Ahead of Chargers-Raiders in Week 2 on Monday Night Football

Sep 12, 2025 at 03:15 PM

Eric Smith

Editorial Director

Week 2 has arrived.

The Chargers and Raiders will meet in primetime on Monday Night Football. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. (PT) from Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

The Chargers-Raiders betting line shows the Bolts are slight favorites on Monday night.

Here are five final thoughts ahead of Week 2:

1. Another AFC West battle

It's Raiders Week.

And another chance for the Chargers to make a statement in the AFC West.

The Bolts did that in Week 1 with a win over the Chiefs in Brazil, but their next challenge will come in a hostile environment in Las Vegas.

"Chargers and Raiders, I feel like it's dating back in history with those teams," Derwin James, Jr. said. "We want to win all our games, especially division games."

Khalil Mack added: "It means everything when it comes to these two teams."

The Raiders also won in Week 1, meaning Monday night's matchup will be the first that both teams have a winning record since Week 4 of the 2021 season.

Chargers Head Coach Jim Harbaugh spoke again this week of the stressed importance that the Bolts place on division games.

"The math of it, and Raiders Week, the rivalry … you just want to play good football. You want to give it your best," said Harbaugh, who then noted that AFC West games count extra in the standings.

"One wins and one loses, so that's two," Harbaugh added. "But there's a tiebreaker in there, you know? We'll call it two-and-a-half. Close to three but not three."

Harbaugh and Pete Carroll will renew their own longstanding rivalry, which will surely add some fuel to an already intense rivalry.

But the objective here is clear: bank as many early-season wins as possible, especially in the division.

"Keep climbing. We don't want to go down or stay level, just keep getting better," Harbaugh said.

2. Rookie RBs in primetime

There were 25 running backs taken in the 2025 NFL Draft, but only two of them went in Round 1.

That pair of players — Omarion Hampton and Ashton Jeanty — will meet Monday night for the first time in their young careers.

Does Hampton know Jeanty well?

"Yeah. That's one of my guys," Hampton said. "We met at the draft and talked a little bit there. I'm excited to see him. He is a great back."

"I've watched a little bit, just the way he runs. And I like his mindset, he runs with a lot of power," Hampton added.

Jeanty was the No. 6 overall pick by the Raiders while the Bolts took Hampton with the 22nd pick.

Both players didn't quite have eye-popping stats in their NFL debuts — Hampton had 48 yards on 15 carries while Jeanty had 38 yards and a touchdown on 19 attempts.

But Hampton said he was simply thrilled to get a win in his NFL debut.

"It felt amazing just to be out there with the guys and just finally get to play," Hampton said. "It felt amazing and I couldn't have asked for anything better."

"Just being out there learning how the game works, learning the speed of the game, just the way how the players warm up and everything," Hampton added.

Chargers Offensive Coordinator Greg Roman said: "Omarion's first time out there, I thought he did a really good job."

And the Chargers defense knows the test that awaits with Jeanty.

"A lot of respect for him," James said. "He's earned the right to be a Top 10 pick. I feel like when you go that high, they're not drafting you to not come in and play. He's earned every right and excited to play him. He's a great young back."

"Lower guy, smaller guy and lower to the ground so he's got good contact balance," James added. "You've got to be able to run your feet on guys like that cause they can get up under you."

All eyes will be on the rookie running backs on Monday night, even if Hampton isn't looking at it as a battle between the two.

"No, no," Hampton said with a smile. "I'm just focused on what I have to do."

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3. Battling with Bowers

One of the best chess matchups is on tap for Monday night.

The Chargers are well aware how good Raiders second-year tight end Brock Bowers is, especially after a 2024 season that saw him set a record for most catches in a season by any NFL rookie and also tally the most receiving yards in a season by a rookie tight end.

"Brock is an elite weapon, we've seen it now a few times," Chargers Defensive Coordinator Jesse Minter said. "Your hands are full when he's out there.

"He's a receiver, he's a tight end, he's an electric athlete, yards after the catch, catch and run," Minter added. "He can do all that."

James said: "One of the best tight ends, probably the best tight end in the league now. One of the best. Fast, can run all of the routes, great young player. I can't wait for that matchup."

Bowers had five catches for 103 receiving yards in Week 1 but did leave with a knee injury, which is something to monitor for Week 2.

If Bowers is on the field, that means the Raiders are likely to line up often in "12 personnel" with one running back and two tight ends on the field.

Las Vegas led the NFL in "12 personnel" usage in 2024 at 35.6 percent, but Minter quipped that it's more like "11.5 personnel" because Bowers is such a versatile player.

And while that might cause matchup problems for many teams, the Chargers defense can counter that by using their big nickel package with James in the slot with two linebackers, two safeties and two cornerbacks elsewhere on the field.

"Whenever a team's personnel is flexible, we feel like ours is flexible to match that," Minter said. "Derwin gives you the third corner, the third safety, the third linebacker."

Keep an eye on this high-level matchup when the Chargers are on defense Monday night.

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#0 | LB | Daiyan Henley

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#0 | LB | Daiyan Henley

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#1 | WR | Quentin Johnston

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#1 | WR | Quentin Johnston

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#2 | DB | Elijah Molden

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#2 | DB | Elijah Molden

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#3 | S | Derwin James, Jr.

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#3 | S | Derwin James, Jr.

10 / 161

#5 | QB | Trey Lance

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#5 | QB | Trey Lance

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#6 | LB | Denzel Perryman

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#6 | LB | Denzel Perryman

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#8 | QB | Omarion Hampton

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#8 | QB | Omarion Hampton

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#9 | WR | Tre' Harris

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#9 | WR | Tre' Harris

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#10 | QB | Justin Herbert

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#10 | QB | Justin Herbert

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#11 | K | Cameron Dicker

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#11 | K | Cameron Dicker

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#12 | WR | Derius Daivs

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#12 | WR | Derius Daivs

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#13 | WR | Keenan Allen

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#13 | WR | Keenan Allen

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#15 | WR | Ladd McConkey

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#15 | WR | Ladd McConkey

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#16 | P | JK Scott

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#16 | P | JK Scott

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#20 | CB | Cam Hart

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#20 | CB | Cam Hart

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#22 | RB | Najee Harris

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#22 | RB | Najee Harris

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#24 | CB | Benjamin St-Juste

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#24 | CB | Benjamin St-Juste

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#26 | CB | Donte Jackson

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#26 | CB | Donte Jackson

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#27 | S | RJ Mickens

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#27 | S | RJ Mickens

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#28 | RB | Hassan Haskins

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#28 | RB | Hassan Haskins

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#29 | CB | Tarheeb Still

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#29 | CB | Tarheeb Still

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#32 | S | Alohi Gilman

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#32 | S | Alohi Gilman

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#36 | DB | Ja'Sir Taylor

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#36 | DB | Ja'Sir Taylor

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#40 | S | Kendall Williamson

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#40 | S | Kendall Williamson

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#42 | TE | Tucker Fisk

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#42 | TE | Tucker Fisk

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#43 | LB | Troy Dye

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#43 | LB | Troy Dye

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#44 | FB/DL | Scott Matlock

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#44 | FB/DL | Scott Matlock

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#45 | OLB | Tuli Tuipulotu

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#45 | OLB | Tuli Tuipulotu

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#46 | CB | Nikko Reed

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#46 | CB | Nikko Reed

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#48 | OLB | Bud Dupree

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#48 | OLB | Bud Dupree

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#50 | OLB | Caleb Murphy

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#50 | OLB | Caleb Murphy

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#52 | OLB | Khalil Mack

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#52 | OLB | Khalil Mack

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#53 | LB | Del'Shawn Phillips

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#53 | LB | Del'Shawn Phillips

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#54 | OLB | Kyle Kennard

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#54 | OLB | Kyle Kennard

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#58 | LB | Marlowe Wax

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#58 | LB | Marlowe Wax

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#68 | OL | Jamaree Salyer

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#68 | OL | Jamaree Salyer

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#73 | G | Mekhi Becton

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#73 | G | Mekhi Becton

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#74 | T | Austin Deculus

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#74 | T | Austin Deculus

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#75 | C | Bradley Bozeman

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#75 | C | Bradley Bozeman

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#76 | T | Joe Alt

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#76 | T | Joe Alt

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#77 | G | Zion Johnson

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#77 | G | Zion Johnson

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#78 | C | Andre James

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#78 | C | Andre James

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#79 | G/T | Trey Pipkins III

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#79 | G/T | Trey Pipkins III

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#83 | TE | Tyler Conklin

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#83 | TE | Tyler Conklin

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#84 | WR | KeAndre Lambert-Smith

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#84 | WR | KeAndre Lambert-Smith

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#86 | TE | Oronde Gadsden

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#86 | TE | Oronde Gadsden

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#89 | TE | Will Dissly

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#89 | TE | Will Dissly

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#90 | DL | Tear Tart

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#90 | DL | Tear Tart

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#91 | DL | Da'Shawn Hand

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#91 | DL | Da'Shawn Hand

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#92 | DL | Justin Eboigbe

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#92 | DL | Justin Eboigbe

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#93 | DL | Otito Ogbonnia

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#93 | DL | Otito Ogbonnia

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#96 | DL | Naquan Jones

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#96 | DL | Naquan Jones

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#99 | DT | Jamaree Caldwell

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#99 | DT | Jamaree Caldwell

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#7 | RB | DJ Uiagalelei

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#7 | RB | DJ Uiagalelei

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#23 | S | Tony Jefferson

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#23 | S | Tony Jefferson

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#30 | RB | Kimani Vidal

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#30 | RB | Kimani Vidal

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#34 | RB | Amar Johnson

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#34 | RB | Amar Johnson

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#35 | CB | Myles Purchase

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#35 | CB | Myles Purchase

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#38 | LB | Emany Johnson

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#38 | LB | Emany Johnson

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#41 | LS | Rick Lovato

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#41 | LS | Rick Lovato

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#49 | TE | Thomas Yassmin

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#49 | TE | Thomas Yassmin

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#56 | LB | Kana'i Mauga

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#56 | LB | Kana'i Mauga

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#63 | C | Josh Kaltenberger

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#63 | C | Josh Kaltenberger

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#67 | OL | Foster Sarell

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#67 | OL | Foster Sarell

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#71 | G | Branson Taylor

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#71 | G | Branson Taylor

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#72 | OT | David Sharpe

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#72 | OT | David Sharpe

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#82 | WR | JaQuae Jackson

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#82 | WR | JaQuae Jackson

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#87 | WR | Luke Grimm

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#87 | WR | Luke Grimm

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#94 | DL | TeRah Edwards

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#94 | DL | TeRah Edwards

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#97 | OLB | Garmon Randolph

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#97 | OLB | Garmon Randolph

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#25 | LB | Junior Colson

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#25 | LB | Junior Colson

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#37 | CB | Jordan Oladokun

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#37 | CB | Jordan Oladokun

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#39 | CB | Eric Rogers

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#39 | CB | Eric Rogers

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#69 | DL | Josh Fuga

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#69 | DL | Josh Fuga

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#70 | T | Rashawn Slater

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#70 | T | Rashawn Slater

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#33 | DB | Deane Leonard

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#33 | DB | Deane Leonard

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#47 | LS | Josh Harris

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#47 | LS | Josh Harris

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#67 | T | Savion Washington

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#67 | T | Savion Washington

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4. Khalil Mack's favorite opponent

Khalil Mack doesn't say much at the weekly Thursday scrum at his locker.

Instead, the future Hall of Famer prefers to let his play do the talking on game days.

With that in mind, it's safe to say the Raiders are probably tired of hearing from Mack when the teams meet.

Mack has 11.5 sacks in just eight games against the Raiders, the second-most he's tallied against any team during his career. The ratio of 1.44 sacks per game against the Raiders is his highest mark against any team.

Yes, that 11.5-sack out put includes 6.0 and 3.0-sack performances. But Mack has also tallied 30 total pressures in six games against the Raiders while in powder blue, according to Pro Football Focus.

Mack contemplated retirement this offseason but chose to return for a 12th season. That means he might only have a few games left against the team that originally drafted him fifth overall in 2014.

What could the nine-time Pro Bowler have in store in primetime?

As usual, Mack kept things close to the vest this week.

"It's always fun. Another challenge, looking forward to it. Trying to go out and get a win," Mack said.

"We've been attacking this work week like we've been attacking all offseason," Mack added. "Just knowing that we have a Raider team that's looking to make a push. It's going to be a big challenge going into their home and getting a win."