Nate Hobbs’ return to Raiders can delay Chargers’ Keenan Allen’s barbecue chicken dinner

“Barbecued chicken, no doubt,” Allen said in a Thursday news conference while describing how he planned to cook Las Vegas, guaranteeing an impressive performance in Sunday’s matchup. 

 Hobbs, who’s returning from injured reserve, demonstrated he can prevent Allen from devouring the Raiders’ secondary.  

The 23-year-old cornerback, drafted out of Illinois, was a fifth-round steal. He made Pro Football Focus’ All-Rookie team and became the site’s highest-graded rookie cornerback (79.1) while recording 74 tackles, fourth on the Raiders, and only one touchdown in pass coverage.  

Hobbs had an even better start this year, recording 36 total tackles, a sack, a forced fumble and an interception in his first five games before breaking his left hand against the Chiefs in Week 5.

The Raiders pass defense suffered during his absence, falling to 26th in the NFL. Last season it ranked just outside the league’s top 10 at 13th when Hobbs started nine games. 

Inserting him back into the lineup improves the defensive depth and gives the Raiders someone who can blanket Allen.  

Per the Los Angeles Times, the Raiders play man-to-man pass coverage at the ninth-highest rate in the NFL. So, it’s likely Hobbs and Allen will square off on more than one occasion.