Defense comes up clutch
Throughout the course of the game, the Chargers had no answer for quarterback Marcus Mariota, who came in after Derek Carr left the game with a groin injury. Whether it was him passing the ball or using his legs, Los Angeles could not stop him.
However, they came up with important stops that had an impact on the outcome of the game, both of which came late in the game.
The first came towards the end of the fourth quarter. Following Los Angeles’ first missed field goal, Las Vegas was cruising to a win. But that’s when cornerback Chris Harris Jr. picked off Mariota on a pass intended to wide receiver. Unfortunately, L.A. was unable to capitalize on that, as they missed the go-ahead field goal.
The second came in overtime. After the Raiders worked their way to the red zone, the Chargers stuffed running back Joshua Jacobs on first and second downs. On third down, edge defender Isaac Rochell deflected Mariota’ in the direction of fullback Alec Ingold. That stop forced the Raiders to kick a field goal. From there, it was all Herbert.
The Chargers’ defense is still a work in progress, but they came up big when it mattered the most, which hadn’t been the case all season.