Chargers-Raiders game preview: Was Gardner Minshew the right choice as quarterback?

A new season means a lot of things here at Bolts From The Blue, and one of those things is the return of the 5 Questions series, where we dive behind enemy lines to pre-discuss the game of the week with a member of the opposing team. Since this week is Raiders week, we had Matt Holder from Silver & Black Pride as our guest, who was kind enough to answer our questions.

Let’s get started right away!

1.) The Raiders decided to use Gardner Minshew as their starting quarterback against the Chargers. How did the fan base react to this decision? Would more people have preferred to give the job to Aidan O'Connell or did Antonio Pierce make the right decision?

I think Raider Nation will always be split between Derek Carr and the current situation when it comes to the team's quarterback. There are plenty of people in Minshew and O'Connell's respective corners, but the majority of the fanbase at least seems to acknowledge that the team has a less than ideal (to put it nicely) situation at the most important position on the field. Reports on these two after training camp were not good and neither was particularly impressive in the preseason, so there wasn't much excitement within the fanbase when Pierce named a starting quarterback. Most rational Raider fans are more likely to wait for the draft to find the team's quarterback of the future.

2.) One of the matchups in this game that has garnered a lot of attention is the matchup between Raiders edge rusher Maxx Crosby and Chargers rookie right tackle Joe Alt. Alt has played great during the preseason, but there is a big difference between that level of play and one of the best at his position in the entire NFL. How do you see this matchup playing out on Sunday?

Crosby has developed into one of the best pass rushers in the NFL over the past few years, so I would put him against pretty much any offensive tackle, especially a rookie. Don't get me wrong, I believe Alt has a bright future, but going up against a guy who has ranked in the top 5 edge defenders in pressure over the past three seasons, according to Focus on professional footballis a tough opponent for your first real NFL game. Alt's base in pass defense was one of the few criticisms thrown at him after graduating from Notre Dame, and Crosby is pretty good at converting speed into power, meaning the rookie's biggest weakness will be tested on Sunday. Plus, Madd Maxx has become a threat against the run in recent years.

3. If you were Greg Roman, offensive coordinator of the Chargers, how would you plan the offense against the Raiders defense? Which players would you try to exploit? Which players would you try to avoid?

Roman and Jim Harbaugh are known for leaning heavily on the run game, but the Raiders have a few good defensive tackles that defend the run game, including John Jenkins at nose tackle and free agent signing Christian Wilkins playing the 3-technique. Plus, as mentioned above, Crosby is pretty good against the run game, so I'd try to target Malcolm Koonce as often as possible. Koonce made strides as a run defender last year, but is still primarily a pass rusher.

The passing game is where things get interesting, as Vegas has question marks at the outside position and who will be Los Angeles' best receiver this season is a mystery. Roman should look to test Jack Jones, a type of player who is either on a roll or not, and Jakorian Bennett, who is in his second season and only started four times last year before being benched. I'm just not sure who that will be. I could see Josh Palmer being Justin Herbert's primary target at the outside position, so it might be a good idea to make a few plays for Palmer early in the game to test the waters.

4.) Same question as above, but with different sides of the ball. If you were defensive coordinator Jesse Minter, how would you try to stop this Raiders offense? How would you slow down Davante Adams? Do the Chargers have to worry about other Raiders offensive players?

Load the box and let Minshew beat you. Since taking over as head coach midseason last year, Pierce has talked about wanting to have a run-first offense. If the Chargers can shut down the run game, Minshew will start applying pressure and trying to play the hero without having the skills of Patrick Mahomes or Josh Allen to get away with it consistently.

I thought Asante Samuel Jr. did pretty well against Adams last season (I even wrote about it this week) in this column), so I'd shadow Samuel Adams and trust my top corner to be able to hold his own against the Raiders' best receiver. I'd be a little worried about Jakobi Meyers and the two young tight ends – Brock Bowers and Michael Mayer – in the passing game. Meyers works well in the intermediate areas of the field, while Bowers and Mayer are good after the catch to overcome some of Minshew's arm strength issues.

5.) Give us a short summary of how you assess the outcome of the game and round it all off with a prediction of the final result.

With the Chargers learning a new offense and Justin Herbert missing a large portion of training camp, and the Raiders defense entering the season with a lead over the offense, I think this will be an old-fashioned, low-scoring game with both defenses playing well. I'm well aware that Harbaugh has had immediate success everywhere he's coached, but the Chargers have had so many moving parts this offseason that I think the Raiders are a step ahead to start the season.

So I say Las Vegas wins 13-10.