The Chargers suffered another late-game loss on Sunday to the Raiders. While Las Vegas dominated in all three phases, Los Angeles still managed to hold their own to keep the contest close. Ultimately, it came down to the last play of the game, but they were unable to prevail.
Here are four takeaways from the Bolts’ 31-26 loss to the Raiders in Week 9:
Justin Herbert is here to stay
Even when fans know that a heartbreak is going to occur in some kind of fashion, the main reason why they remain optimistic and tuned in is solely because of Herbert. Herbert has been a real joy to watch and he’s been the reason why the Chargers have been able to stay toe to toe with their opponents. It was no different yesterday, as he attributed to two of the team’s three touchdowns along with 326 yards and zero turnovers. But he kept possessions alive, forcing Los Angeles to only punt twice. Herbert was able to drive his offense down the field and gave them a chance to win on the final play. There are still instances of questionable throws and decisions, but he is growing on a weekly basis.
Ran the ball well, but couldn’t stop it
For the second week in a row, the Chargers had an efficient ground game. Last week, it was RB Troymaine Pope who was the highlight of the backfield. This time, it was Kalen Ballage, who was signed off the practice squad that stepped up in a big way. Ballage’s bruising style of running led to 69 yards and a score on 15 carries. However, on the other side of the ball, they had no answer to the Raiders’ rushing attack. Lack of push up front, missed tackles and no urgency led to Las Vegas totaling 160 yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries. Los Angeles only had one tackle for loss. One of the team’s best run defenders, Kenneth Murray, also only played 52% of the defensive snaps.
Casey Hayward is not playing his best football
QB Derek Carr only threw for 165 yards on the afternoon, but the majority of those yards came when Hayward was in coverage. Both occurred in the third quarter. The first came when WR Nelson Agholor beat Hayward on a go route for a 45-yard touchdown. Then, WR Hunter Renfrow was able to get behind Hayward on a broken play on the next drive for a gain of 53 yards. Arguably the best corner on the team of the past few years is not playing well this season, and the Chargers are likely going to think long and hard about finding his replacement this upcoming offseason.
The final drive
Herbert had the opportunity to become the hero once again when his team was down five points with a little over four minutes to play. I had some concerns with the final drive. While the Chargers should have given more time, the product leading up to it was lackluster. The majority of that last drive consisted of running back check downs in the middle of the field and they were slow getting plays off. On the final two plays, they called fades, one to WR Mike Williams and the other to TE Donald Parham. Both ended up being incompletions. The only difference was the formation and who the ball went to. Los Angeles had the opportunity to close it out, but they found an awful way to lose another close game.