Los Angeles @ Las Vegas preview

Last Meeting ( Aug 18, 2018 ) Oakland 15, L.A. Rams 19

Jon Gruden's second stint as coach of the Oakland Raiders was supposed to begin with a matchup between two of the NFL's best defensive players. Oakland squashed that showdown by trading superstar Khalil Mack last weekend and will need to receive phenomenal efforts from his replacements when it hosts the Los Angeles Rams on Monday night.

Gruden, who was given a 10-year, $100 million contract to return to the sideline for the first time since 2008 with Tampa Bay, never even got to meet Mack, a three-time Pro Bowler and the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2016 who was a holdout during preseason before being dealt to Chicago - and signed to a six-year, $141 million deal - last Saturday. Oakland's defense was suspect at best with Mack and figures to be considerably weaker when the team meets the Rams, who were able to come to terms with their defensive stud a day before the Raiders parted with theirs. Defensive tackle Aaron Donald, a four-time Pro Bowler who was the NFL's Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2014 and Player of the Year in 2017, inked a six-year, $135 million contract last Friday. Los Angeles is looking to build off a season in which it captured its first division title since 2003 with a first-year coach in Sean McVay and an inexperienced quarterback in the 23-year-old Jared Goff.

TV: 10:20 p.m. ET, ESPN. LINE: Rams -4. O/U: 48.5

ABOUT THE RAMS (2017: 11-5, FIRST IN NFC WEST): McVay stated on Thursday that Donald is ready to face Oakland despite missing the entire preseason due to his holdout. The 27-year-old Donald, who leads all NFL defensive tackles with 39 sacks since 2014, has proven to be a fast starter as he recorded two sacks in the 2015 season opener and one in his 2017 debut. Goff, who led Los Angeles to a league-best average of 29.9 points per game last year, was kept out of all of the team's preseason games and may rely heavily on Todd Gurley, who led the NFL in 2017 with 29 rushing touchdowns en route to being named the Offensive Player of the Year.

ABOUT THE RAIDERS (2017: 6-10, THIRD IN AFC WEST): Derek Carr passed for 3,496 yards and 22 touchdowns last year to join Peyton Manning and Russell Wilson as the only quarterbacks in NFL history to throw for 3,000 yards and 20 scores in each of their first four seasons. Carr lost one of his favorite targets in Michael Crabtree but gained a new one in Jordy Nelson, who was signed to a two-year contract in March after being released by Green Bay - the team with which he recorded at least 1,250 receiving yards in four of nine seasons. Bruce Irvin has been moved from linebacker to defensive end in an effort to compensate for the departure of Mack, while the team also hopes to receive contributions from newcomer Tank Carradine and rookies Maurice Hurst, P.J. Hall and Arden Key.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Rams LB Mark Barron (ankle) did not practice Thursday and is questionable for the season opener.

2. Oakland may need to rely on Doug Martin, a two-time 1,400-yard rusher with Tampa Bay, as fellow RB Marshawn Lynch (groin) was limited during Thursday's practice and is questionable for Monday's contest.

3. Los Angeles backup C Austin Blythe is expected to fill in for G Jamon Brown, who will miss the season's first two games due to a suspension.

PREDICTION: Rams 44, Raiders 24