Chargers – Raiders Recap
The Chargers found a way to edge out the Raiders 22-10 in a hard-nosed matchup dominated by defense and runs.
The game started very slow, with neither team scoring until Chargers kicker Cameron Dicker nailed a field goal from 53 yards to give LA a 3-0 lead. The Raiders then answered with 2 consecutive passes to Davante Adams for 30 yards, setting up a screen pass to Alexander Mattison for a 30-yard touchdown. The Raiders headed into the second quarter with a narrow 7-3 lead.
The second quarter was even slower, with Dicker scoring the only points via a 25-yard field goal. Dicker’s points helped the Chargers stay in the game with only a 7-6 deficit. Coming out of halftime, the Chargers offense got the life they needed. JK Dobbins turned on the jets for a 46-yard gain, setting up another Cameron Dicker field goal to take a 9-7 lead.
Early on in the fourth, Dobbins turned his electric plays into some points, taking a run 12 yards to the end-zone for the Chargers’ first touchdown of the season. A couple of minutes later, Daniel Carlson hit a 32-yard field goal for Vegas to make it a 16-10 game. Once again, JK Dobbins blew up for a 61-yard run. After getting launched into the Red Zone, rookie WR Ladd McConkey put the nail in the coffin with a 10-yard touchdown reception. The Chargers defense held up again to close out a 22-10 victory in Jim Harbaugh’s first game back in the NFL.
For the Chargers offense, it was a tale of two halves. The line was being dominated play after play to start the game, with Maxx Crosby and Christian Wilkins looking like one of the most unfair duos in the league. First-round pick Joe Alt made some rookie mistakes here and there, but the offense’s biggest problem was the pre-snap penalties. In the first half, there were four false start calls, two on TE Will Dissly, one on TE Eric Tomlinson, and another on the previously mentioned Ladd McConkey. Every time the offense got going, they got pushed back five yards. This also stopped the newly acquired RB tandem of Gus Edwards and JK Dobbins from getting into a groove, since they were too far back to run the ball more than once before taking a deep shot.
When the line started to hold up better in the second half, the momentum immediately shifted in favor of the Bolts. Dobbins helped establish a dominating run game, which helped Herbert get more comfortable passing the ball without facing immediate pressure. That empowered the offense to get their two touchdowns of the second half, lifting them to the twelve-point win in Inglewood.
What may have been the driving factor for the win Sunday was the turnover battle, won by LA 3-0. Something that hasn’t consistently been done in LA for years, the defense helped the Chargers stay in the game. A turnover on downs in the first quarter, a fumble recovered by Khalil Mack for a big return, and another recovered by Ja’Sir Taylor put the offense in great positions even when they were stagnant. Lastly, defensive tackle Poona Ford picked up a late interception off of Gardner Minshew to secure the win. Mack applied the pressure, with two QB hits and 1.5 sacks, while Joey Bosa and Morgan Fox got in on the fun with QB hits of their own.
There was also a large altercation between the Chargers’ offense and the Raiders’ defense after a late two-point conversion attempt from the Chargers in the fourth quarter. It began with LA Receiver Josh Palmer and Vegas corner Jack Jones shoving each other, which turned into a brawl between the two teams. Palmer’s teammate Quentin Johnston soon found himself in the middle of the huddle, before the referees and other players came in to break it up. Palmer and Jones were ejected from the game with a few minutes left to play in the fourth.