Five Raiders players to watch in NFL Week 10 game vs. Chargers

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OAKLAND — The Raiders have lost four consecutive games by at least 14 points. The L.A. Chargers started that streak back in Week 5 with a 26-10 trashing that wasn’t as close as sounds.

Oddsmakers expect another lopsided result Sunday and have made the visiting Chargers 10-point favorites.

The Raiders have far less talent, and will need huge plays, big defensive stops and some decent field position (for once) to pull this one out. Stranger things have happened, however. The awful Bills beat the Minnesota Vikings in Week 2, so anything’s possible.

Here are five Raiders -- except Derek Carr; he could be on the list every week -- who must bring their ‘A’ game for the team to pull off an upset:

TE Jared Cook

The receiving tight end easily is the Raiders’ most talented and dynamic pass catcher with Amari Cooper now in Dallas. Cook can play out wide, in the slot or as an in-line blocker, which allows Jon Gruden to use him as a roving chess piece.

The Raiders need big days from Cook with Cooper out of town and Jordy Nelson and Brandon LaFell failing to draw additional coverage outside. Cook isn’t being double-teamed much, but the coverage around him is changing some.

“I think people realize that he’s certainly a threat for us,” offensive coordinator Greg Olson said. “We haven’t seen the double coverages as much as them maybe putting one of their better defenders. We’re seeing sub-defense to our 12-personnel with Jared in the game. That’s because of his ability to catch passes. That would probably be the difference that we’ve seen, a little more sub-defense when Jared is out on the field.”

The Raiders need more production from the veteran, who started hot but has had 20 yards or less three times in this four-game losing streak. Improved pass protection would help him get downfield, but he must take advantage of his targets to keep the offense running strong.

LG Kelechi Osemele

The interior lineman easily is one of the best Raiders regardless of position, and brings an intimidation factor to the offensive front. The team missed him dearly during a three-game absence with a debilitating knee injury that acted up last week.

Osemele makes rookie left tackle Kolton Miller better and creates gaps in the run game working with him or center Rodney Hudson. Osemele practiced all week, and the Raiders hope he’s back to his road-grading self in this AFC West clash. That would help all aspects of the Raiders’ offense, which recently has grown stagnant with poor pass protection.

WLB Tahir Whitehead

Whitehead is the Raiders’ only three-down defender. That was the plan when he was given a multiyear deal in free agency, a rarity in a massive yet unproductive class. The Raiders simply need better production from the veteran leader, both in tackling and coverage.

Whitehead has 40 tackles and eight missed attempts. The Raiders need steadier play there. He has allowed 23 receptions for 405 yards and seven touchdowns on 26 targets, per analytics site Pro Football Focus. That’s a perfect 158.3 passer rating against him, a major issue in the Raiders’ defense.

Whitehead was a liability in the last Chargers game, when he gave up five catches for 97 yards and two touchdowns on as many targets. That’s uncharacteristic. Take last season as an example, when he allowed 497 receiving yards all season despite a high number of coverage snaps.

Gruden recently gave Whitehead a vote of confidence, and Whitehead must live up to his coach’s kind words and play better for the Raiders to have a chance.

DEs Kony Ealy and Jacquies Smith

The Raiders signed two veteran pass rushers this week to help a failing pass rush. They need some depth after waiving Bruce Irvin, but they’ll need production from new guys signed off the street.

Smith and Ealy have had productive periods, but their careers fell on hard times. Both guys are looking to resurrect their careers starting Sunday. Both guys are playing catch-up trying to learn this defensive scheme on the fly, so there’s no guarantee both will be active against the Chargers.

At least one will (maybe both) and should be a third-down pass rusher right away trying to generate heat on the quarterback, where there previously was none.

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