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The Chargers fell to .500 with a loss to the Raiders, sealed away with a series of Josh Jacobs runs the same way the matchup last season was.
Los Angeles’ playoff hopes continue to slip with the loss, although a Jets’ loss means they remain just one game outside the postseason.
Here’s who stepped up and who faded into the background in the rivalry contest.
Stud: Josh Palmer
After a shaky first half of the season where Palmer’s chemistry with Justin Herbert seemed off, injuries to Keenan Allen and Mike Williams forced the second-year receiver to get on the same page with his quarterback. Those game reps have pretty clearly paid dividends lately, and Palmer continued that momentum with 7 catches for 60 yards on 11 targets, the most of anyone not named Keenan Allen. Palmer was consistently the go-to guy on third down, with four of his receptions coming on third down. Three of those went for first downs, with the fourth setting up a 4th-and-1 that was converted.
Dud: Pass Protection
Herbert was under duress all day, enduring five sacks and fourteen hits from Raiders defenders who seemed to be in his face all afternoon. Of course, it’s always going to be hard to produce when you’re missing three starters and facing a defensive front like Las Vegas’, but the Chargers looked like they fielded an offensive line essentially only because they were required to on Sunday. Will Clapp could not get the line moved to counter the blitz the same way Corey Linsley (concussion) does. Foster Sarell and Jamaree Salyer were baptized by Chandler Jones and Maxx Crosby all day in relief of Rashawn Slater (bicep) and Trey Pipkins (knee). Brenden Jaimes also intermittently entered the game for Zion Johnson, further disrupting the chemistry of an already patchwork group.
Stud: Joshua Kelley
Kelley is clearly the second-best back on this roster, and the way the offense has functioned with and without him makes that evident. The third-year player’s effectiveness today kept Sony Michel in street clothes and Isaiah Spiller off the field on offense while Kelley took seven carries for 30 yards. Kelley’s play style is just more effective with an offensive line that’s struggling as much as it was today because the bigger back has the ability to drive through tackles and get tough first downs. Going forward, there’s no reason we need to see Michel on the field again, although Spiller should probably receive a couple of touches per game to continue to work him into the offense.
Dud: Austin Ekeler
On the flip side, Ekeler struggled today. With only fifteen touches, it was a light day for the back, who grinded out a 3.5 per carry average and had 67 receiving yards on five catches. His fumble to open the second half was a critical momentum swing that the Chargers seemingly could not recover from for the rest of the game. Again, with the way the offensive line was playing, I get only drawing up 17 non-quarterback runs in the game. But Ekeler is an elite receiving back, and that he only received six targets tells me that, for some reason, the Chargers elected to call other numbers on Sunday. Hopefully, they go back through the tape and find ways to get him in more effective situations to succeed.
Stud: Justin Herbert
You heard it on CBS’ commentary all game: Justin Herbert was going to need to be Superman for the Chargers to have a chance. Superman he nearly was, throwing for 335 yards and a touchdown despite being hurried nearly every time he dropped back to pass. Remember that this is a player whose rib cartilage is still fractured! Herbert consistently hung in the pocket and delivered tight throws, showcasing his best skill: making smart decisions with the ball. Then, on plays like the 4th-and-12 touchdown to Keenan Allen, we still saw glimpses of what Justin Herbert can be if everything goes right. The problems with this offense do not start, end, or intertwine at any other point with the man behind center, but he is hamstrung by what he’s being given. On Sunday, it nearly didn’t matter.
Dud: Defensive Line
First, big picture: the Chargers allowed Josh Jacobs to run for 144 yards on 5.5 per carry despite holding him to just 57 yards in Week 1. LA also failed to sack Derek Carr, hitting him only twice after a six-sack and nine-hit performance in the opener. Now, the Raiders offensive line has hit a stride in recent weeks, and the Chargers had several key contributors who were still healthy in Week 1, but the overarching disappointment still rings true.
Now, a few one on one evaluations. Khalil Mack consistently got pushed off the line of scrimmage as a run defender and only got to Carr on prolonged rushers. Chris Rumph missed a tackle on Jacobs that would’ve brought him down behind the line, instead giving up a nine-yard gain. Sebastian Joseph-Day made a few plays early but left late in the game with a knee injury he could not put weight on. It was a miserable day for what’s consistently been a gloomy unit. There was, however, one exception.
Stud: Morgan Fox
Fox continued his strong season on Sunday, consistently being the player to penetrate the backfield and stop Jacobs at or near the line of scrimmage. He also had a beautifully executed stunt with Khalil Mack in the first quarter that forced a Raiders throwaway on third down and led to a punt. On a line full of injury replacements, disappointments, and general malaise, Fox has consistently been a bright spot. I have to imagine his name is high on the Chargers’ list of players to re-sign this offseason so he can continue to build on this progress.
Dud: Conservation of momentum
Like every Chargers game, this contest began with a successful first quarter of LA-branded football. The Raiders went three and out on their first drive because of that Morgan Fox stunt pressure. LA immediately tossed that momentum by getting strip-sacked on their first play of the game. No problem, though, because Kenneth Murray just forced a fumble on the Raiders’ 25. The offense responds by gaining 9 yards and then failing to convert on fourth down. Even with all of this starting and stopping and sputtering, it’s 7-0 at the end of the first quarter and 13-10 by halftime.
Then, Ekeler fumbles and Davante Adams scores on the Raiders’ first play of the second half. Cameron Dicker misses his first field goal as a professional and the Raiders respond with an Adams flea flicker to extend their lead. And then, save for Herbert’s heroic touchdown heave to bring it back within one possession, it just felt like the rest of the game was deflated for LA. The energy the defense brought in the first quarter was gone, replaced with hands on knees and shaking heads as Adams hauled in circus catches and Jacobs ground the defense into a pulp. The offense was fighting to keep their heads above water, forging through physical, confident coverage and a pass rush that knew they’d get anything they wanted. It’s been this story for the entire season, and at some point, the narrative needs to shift from starting games strong to finishing them. The Chargers haven’t finished a game all season; even last week at Arizona, it felt like they escaped, thieving a victory they had not earned. It shouldn’t require Herbert to become a folk hero. Yet here we are, Herbert’s heroics later, left with nothing else but another loss and building questions about this team’s constitutional fortitude.