SAN DIEGO — The San Diego Chargers ability wish to forward a acknowledgment agenda to the NFL agenda makers.
After able-bodied losses to the Pittsburgh Steelers and Denver Broncos, the Chargers were handed the absolute get-well remedy: the two affliction teams in the AFC West.
Last Sunday the Chargers baffled the last-place Kansas City Chiefs by 30 points. This Sunday they get a home date with arch-rival Oakland, and with it the adventitious to exhausted the average Raiders for the 13th beeline time.
These are the aforementioned Raiders (2-5) who physically exhausted up the Chargers (3-3) in the analysis opener, although the Chargers rallied abaft Philip Rivers to win 24-20.
They're aswell the aforementioned Raiders who are advancing off their affliction home accident ever, 38-0 to the New York Jets, and whose quarterback, JaMarcus Russell, is disturbing so abominably he was pulled because drillmaster Tom Cable said he was "out of sorts" in a three-turnover performance. Russell will be aback as the amateur Sunday.
Many Chargers, including Rivers, accept never absent to the Raiders. Rivers was still at North Carolina State the endure time San Diego absent to the Raiders, in the aboriginal of two affairs in 2003. Marty Schottenheimer was apprenticeship the Chargers, Drew Brees was their quarterback and LaDainian Tomlinson was in his third season.
"It's special, anniversary time you exhausted them, alive that you haven't absent to them," Rivers said. "It does beggarly something. Anniversary bold stands by itself, but anniversary year you can get through a analysis adversary and win both games, that's big. That's what we're aggravating to achieve on Sunday."
Still, the Chargers apperceive not to get cocky. The Raiders pushed them about the majority of the analysis opener and agape several Chargers out of the game. One, arresting accouterment Jamal Williams, was absent for the analysis with an arm injury. Tomlinson sprained an abate and absent the afterward two games, and centre Nick Hardwick is still out afterwards comestible an abate abrasion that appropriate surgery.
"It's consistently a boxy bold if we play these guys," Rivers said. "Obviously they had a black accident endure anniversary adjoin the Jets, but you attending two weeks above-mentioned what they did adjoin Philly. They played a heck of a game. Obviously we apperceive what they brought to the table in the opener, afresh traveling to Kansas City and winning."
The Raiders won 13-10 at Kansas City six canicule afterwards accident to the Chargers. Their alone added win was 13-9 adjoin the Eagles at home two weeks ago.
"We apperceive what we're up against. It's a big, fast, concrete team," Rivers said.
"Obviously we're aghast in the aboriginal game," said arresting end Richard Seymour, acquired by the Raiders eight canicule afore the opener who helped them boss the Chargers for abundant of that game. "We acquainted we should accept won that bold but we didn't, and we charge to go out and play bigger this week."
The Raiders bedeviled play in the aboriginal half, outgaining the Chargers 217-74, but were still angry at 10 because of two turnovers and a epitomize analysis that went adjoin Oakland.
"Our capital affair is to finish," accouterment Mario Henderson said. "Don't accord them an befalling to appear aback how they did. We wish to go out there and accomplishment the job and our aplomb is a little college that we can exhausted them."
Tight end Zach Miller agreed.
"We apperceive we let one blooper abroad the aboriginal bold and we don't wish that to appear again," Miller said. "I anticipate we were so concrete up front, we were able to get the advance on the abhorrent band and accessible up holes and afresh that opened up the play-action game. Once we were hitting the play-action they were complementing anniversary added absolutely well. I anticipate that was a key part."
The Raiders would like to play like that again.
"We haven't been active the brawl like we did that Anniversary 1," Miller said. "We've been aggravating to get aback to that every anniversary here. So we accept to get aback to getting concrete up front, abhorrent line, bound ends, in the blocking game. We've been alive on that. We've just got to accumulate blame and pushing. Once we get that traveling the play-action opens up and that's the aggregation we wish to be."
Although the Chargers hit their stride offensively in acquisition Kansas City 37-7, they abide three amateur abaft the Denver Broncos in the AFC West.
"We've got to body on endure week," Rivers said. "Just because the scoreboard showed us on the high duke with a ample margin, we've got a lot of allowance to improve."
Both Rivers and drillmaster Norv Turner said it was the Chargers' a lot of complete bold of the season.
"Again, it's one game," Rivers said. "It's annihilation for us to relax about by any means. We've got to break hungry, as I apperceive we will, and accumulate this affair rolling."