Raiders, Chargers Reverse Roles After Starts Belie Expectations : Pro football: San Diego comes into today’s game at the Coliseum as the team getting all the praise.

One team begins today’s game unbeaten, the other unproven. One is trying to keep its feet on the ground and not get carried away by all the praise coming its way. The other is trying to get back on its feet and not get swept out of contention.

Many might have predicted it would be this way on this fourth weekend of the NFL season with the San Diego Chargers coming to the Coliseum to play the Raiders.

Few, however, would have dared to suggest that it would be the Chargers unbeaten at 3-0 and the Raiders unsteady at 1-2.

Still, for all their early-season difficulties, the Raiders appear to be back to the shape they were in before the kickoff of their disastrous opening game three weeks ago.

Not because they are coming off a 48-16 thrashing of the Denver Broncos. Scoring points off the Bronco defense is like hitting home runs against a batting practice pitcher.

No, the Raiders are looking better because they appear to have answered the three questions that have hung over their heads since opening night.

--Do they have an effective quarterback?

--Can they run the ball?

--Can they put together a defensive line?

Quarterback Jeff Hostetler continues to deny he had arm problems. But whatever caused his difficulties in the first two games seems to be gone. He completed 21 of 33 passes for 338 yards and four touchdowns against Denver, but more impressive, the old snap is back in his passes, the deadly accuracy back in his fingers.

That can’t be good news for the Chargers, who suffered through a club-record, 424-yard passing performance by Hostetler the last time they came to the Coliseum.

San Diego, however, won that game, 30-23, the Chargers’ third straight victory in Los Angeles. And one of the major reasons for last season’s San Diego triumph here was the Raiders’ inability to complement Hostetler’s potent arm with some effective legs. The Raiders rushed for only 65 yards.

Which brings us to the second question.

The season-ending injury to fullback Napoleon McCallum on opening night further weakened an already struggling running game.

But the club last week broke through for its first 100-yard rushing performance, led by tailback Ty Montgomery’s season-high 53 yards and 4.1-yard average.

The Raiders rushed for 102 yards, only three more than the week before against the Seattle Seahawks. But the big difference was that the yards against Denver all were provided by the people who are paid specifically to get those yards, the running backs. Neither quarterback gained a yard. A week earlier, Hostetler and backup quarterback Vince Evans had accounted for 52 of the 99 yards rushing, numbers that don’t say much for the other backs.

Add in Jerrod Bunch, the former New York Giant back signed a week ago, and the Raiders, though hardly a juggernaut on the ground, might have enough to keep the defense from zeroing in on Hostetler.

On the other side of the ball, missing defensive end Scott Davis is back after a two-game absence. He isn’t expected to start, but his presence will allow starters Anthony Smith, Chester McGlockton, Nolan Harrison and Jerry Ball to get the breathers they need to stay at full strength.

They will need all the rest they can get after trying to battle their way through San Diego’s tough offensive line to get to quarterback Stan Humphries.

The Chargers have been sacked only twice, allowing Humphries the time to throw well enough to get the highest passing rating in the league. His 119.4 mark is nearly two points higher than that of the Miami Dolphins’ Dan Marino and slightly more than 10 points higher than that of the San Francisco 49ers’ Steve Young, the NFL leader in that department in each of the last two seasons.

Free of the shoulder problems that hampered him last season, Humphries has completed 61.3% of his passes, has thrown six touchdown passes and has not thrown an interception.

San Diego Coach Bobby Ross figures it’s easy to explain the fast start of Humphries, who had a 99-yard pass play for a touchdown against the Seahawks last week.

“I just think he’s healthy,” Ross said.

There figures to be more pressure on Humphries today because of the absence of starting center Courtney Hall, sidelined because of a biceps injury. Third-year man Curtis Whitley is expected to start in his place.

On defense, the Chargers have seven new faces, among them starters Reuben Davis at tackle, David Griggs and Dennis Gibson at linebacker and Dwayne Harper in the secondary.

But it’s one of the old faces that most concerns the Raiders, and anybody else who must face San Diego--linebacker Junior Seau.

“My role hasn’t changed,” Seau said. “They’re allowing me to run and hit. . . . I’m not going to be in one place all the time.”

Backed by his teammates, Seau has helped put the Chargers in the one place few dreamed they would be at this point, tied for first in the AFC West.

RAIDERS

TODAY’S GAME

* Opponent: San Diego Chargers.

* Site: Coliseum.

* Time: 1 p.m.

* Records: Raiders 1-2, Chargers 3-0.

* TV: Blacked out in L.A.

* Radio: KFI (640), KWKW (1330).

* Rosters: C16.