By Derek Hegna,Dice City Sports

Copyright yardbarker

For the first time this season, the Las Vegas Raiders are heading into prime time.

On Monday, the Raiders hope to get the Pete Carroll era started off with a 2-0 record when they face the Los Angeles Chargers at Allegiant Stadium.

With the Denver Broncos falling to the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, this game decides who claims sole possession of first place in the AFC West in the early going. As such, both teams will be eager to remain undefeated and earn a statement victory over their division rival.

Here are three things that the Raiders will have to keep in mind if they want to claim victory in their home opener.

Battle of the backs

The Raiders-Chargers rivalry now contains a new wrinkle this season, as this game represents the first matchup between the two first-round rookie running backs in Ashton Jeanty and Omarion Hampton.

Both backs are coming off of less than stellar debuts, with Jeanty recording 38 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries compared to Hampton’s 48 yards on 15 carries. However, both head coaches Pete Carroll and Jim Harbaugh have prided themselves on establishing strong rushing attacks wherever they have gone, so both rookies are going to be involved heavily. Whichever one can turn things around quicker could very well be the deciding factor of the game.

Plan B(rock)

With a limited practice session on Saturday, Brock Bowers is trending towards playing against the Chargers.

It is a massive relief for Raiders fans, as Bowers exited last week’s season opener against the New England Patriots with a knee injury. It did not stop the tight end from continuing his dominance, leading the team with 103 receiving yards on only five receptions. While Bowers playing at less than one hundred percent is a concern, his presence alone should open things up for other Raiders targets and force Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter to plan accordingly.

Mack attack

As much of a treat it is to watch Khalil Mack operate, Raiders fans are probably hoping that the edge rusher who was once part of their team retires soon.

Mack was held without a sack against the Kansas City Chiefs, but he has had tremendous success against the Raiders. In eight games against the team that drafted him, Mack has recorded 11.5 sacks, including six and three-sack performances. He will undoubtedly be hoping for a similar performance, especially against a Raiders offensive line that struggled to keep Geno Smith upright against the Patriots last week.