Tag: chargers raiders

Quentin Johnston has career-best performance: ‘He’s playing the right football at the right time’

Quentin Johnston played like a first-round player in the Chargers’ win over the Raiders.

Quentin Johnston flashed all season, but it was just a matter of time until he had a performance to match his first-round billing. That game came on Sunday in the Chargers’ win over the Raiders.

Johnston, the second-year wideout, was a dominant force. He put up eye-popping numbers, finishing with 13 catches for 186 yards. Johnston had never caught more than five passes in a game. And his previous best in yards was 118, which he set back in Week 9 against the Browns.

“You got to feed the hot hand. He’s a guy that went out and made a bunch of plays,” Justin Herbert said, per the team’s official website. “We’ve seen it all year, he’s playing the right football at the right time.

“He’s confident, he’s going out there and having fun,” Herbert added. “You can tell he’s feeling it, and whenever he’s doing that, you got to get him the ball no matter how it is. He did a great job of that today.”

Johnston made plays at all three levels of the field, winning with an assortment of routes, including on a go route that resulted in a spectacular fingertip catch for a 39-yard gain.

“Just felt like yelling and screaming, that type of crazy stuff,” Johnston said. “But I did my first-down thing and had to refresh and get back to the next play because we didn’t score. The focus was just getting in the end zone after that.”

Johnston finished the season with 55 catches for 711 yards and eight receiving touchdowns, which was a team-high.

Since his rough rookie season, Johnston has grown as a player and wide receivers coach Sanjay Lal deserves credit for contributing to his development.

The Chargers hope he can maintain that level of play in next weekend’s playoff game against the Texans.

Chargers final injury report vs. Raiders: 2 players out, Denzel Perryman doubtful

The Chargers will be without two offensive players this weekend.

The Chargers released their final injury report on Friday ahead of the regular season finale against the Raiders.

Los Angeles will be without running back Gus Edwards and wide receiver Joshua Palmer, who were ruled out.

Edwards is dealing with an ankle injury that kept him sidelined in the Week 17 game against the Patriots.

Palmer is still dealing with a foot injury that forced him out of last weekend’s game against New England late in the third quarter.

Derius Davis and D.J. Chark Jr. will be in line to receive more playing time with Palmer sidelined.

Linebacker Denzel Perryman is listed as doubtful with a groin injury. In his absence, Troy Dye will get the start alongside Daiyan Henley.

Alohi Gilman is questionable with a hamstring injury. Gilman was placed on injured reserve in late November and missed the last five games. He would need to be activated from IR to play on Sunday.

Chargers Week 18 injury report: Ladd McConkey dealing with toe issue

The Chargers had five non participants at practice on Wednesday.

The Chargers had their first practice in preparation on Wednesday for the regular season finale against the Raiders this weekend.

Wide receiver Ladd McConkey did not practice due to a toe injury. The severity of the injury remains to be seen, but it could just be a precaution.

Running back Gus Edwards (ankle), defensive tackle Poona Ford (elbow), edge defender Khalil Mack (rest) and wide receiver Joshua Palmer (foot) also did not practice.

Safety Alohi Gilman (hamstring) had his 21-day practice window opened. Gilman was a limited participant.

Linebacker Denzel Perryman (groin) and offensive lineman Trey Pipkins (hip) were also limited.

Date and time announced for Chargers-Raiders Week 18 matchup

The Chargers will close out the season on the road against the Raiders.

The date, time and television network have officially been announced for the Chargers’ Week 18 game against the Raiders.

The two teams will play at Allegiant Stadium on Sunday, Jan. 5, at 1:25 p.m. PT. The game will be broadcast on CBS.

Los Angeles enters this contest already with a spot in the playoffs. However, if the Steelers lose to the Bengals next Saturday, the Bolts must beat the Raiders to secure the fifth seed in the Wild Card Round.

Las Vegas comes into this game riding a two-game win streak. They’re currently 4-12 and hold the No. 8 overall selection in the 2025 NFL draft.

The Chargers and Raiders last met in Week 1, and Los Angeles won, 22-10.

Chargers film room: Poona Ford anchors strong Week 1 defense

Poona Ford was one of the bright spots for the Chargers defense that held the Raiders to 71 yards rushing in a Week 1 victory.

The Chargers looked like a completely different run defense in the first game of the Jim Harbaugh era, holding the Raiders to just 71 yards on the ground as a team.

Instrumental in that effort was defensive tackle Poona Ford, who signed a one-year contract with Los Angeles in the offseason after playing a depth role for the Bills in 2023. Penciled in as a starter nearly by default because of the Chargers’ struggles on the defensive interior, Ford broke through with one of the best games by any defensive tackle in the NFL in Week 1 to aid Los Angeles’ defensive effort.

Let’s turn to the film to see how Ford made his impact.

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Ford started strong on the opening drive of the season, pushing Raiders center Andre James into the backfield and forcing running back Zamir White to funnel his carry back inside on 3rd and 1. White’s cut brings him back into the path of Joey Bosa pursuing on the back side of the play. Bosa makes the play, forcing a Raiders punt.

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On the next Raiders drive, Las Vegas lines up to go for a 4th and 1 from their own 41, bringing tight end Michael Mayer into the backfield in a pistol look. Ford beats James instantly off the snap and runs through Mayer, causing a pileup in the backfield that absorbs White and stuffs the Raiders. The field position set up the Chargers for the opening field goal of the game.

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Ford initially gets driven off the ball by Raiders guard Cody Whitehair on this toss play in the second quarter as James pulls to support the block, but Ford gets past the double team and helps close the hole alongside cornerback Kristian Fulton to limit White to a gain of 2 on first down. Fulton slips a block from Mayer to help Ford make the tackle.

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Coming out of the two-minute warning, the Raiders try to set up a screen to running back Alexander Mattison, but Ford reads the play after getting through the A gap without much resistance from James or Whitehair. Instead of chasing after Gardner Minshew, Ford runs with Mattison and tips the ball. As Mattison tries to corral it, Ford continues to play through his hands, eventually knocking the ball away and forcing the Raiders into a third down.

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On a 3rd and 7 in the third quarter with the Chargers leading 9-7, Jesse Minter dials up a sim pressure with Junior Colson, Daiyan Henley, and Derwin James all walked up to the line of scrimmage. All three of them come on the blitz while Ford briefly engages with Andre James before dropping into a zone over the middle. The design prevents the Raiders from sliding the protection to either side. Henley jumps to get in the throwing lane of Minshew and Colson breaks into the pocket for a pressure, forcing a throwaway. Raiders kicker Daniel Carlson missed a 49-yard field goal on the next play, leading to a Chargers touchdown drive.

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Zooming out to the field view for this 3rd and 10 from the Chargers 23, the seventh play of a pivotal Raiders drive early in the fourth quarter. Las Vegas runs a screen to wide receiver DJ Turner on the outside and has three blockers, including two offensive linemen, for three Chargers defenders in front of Turner. As he approaches the first down marker, however, Turner is chased down by Ford, stopping him short of the sticks and forcing the Raiders into a field goal attempt to make the game 16-10 rather than setting up a red zone first down to cut the lead to two.

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Ford caps off his performance – and the game – with this tip drill interception just after the two-minute warning. Khalil Mack drives right tackle Thayer Munford Jr. back as Minshew tries to swing the ball to Mattison. Mack gets his hands up and bats the ball into the air right as Ford disengages from his blocker. Unlike most defensive tackles who let the ball fall into their chests, Ford extends outside his frame slightly to make the catch and gets to the ground to secure the victory.

Ford continuing his strong play will be instrumental in the Chargers fielding a top defense this season, as his Week 1 tape was some of the best Los Angeles has gotten from a defensive tackle in the last couple of seasons. Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack both looked impressive as well, setting up a potentially dominant Chargers front if all three can sustain their levels of production.

Chargers rookie OT Joe Alt aces first test

Joe Alt was a wall against the Raiders.

Joe Alt couldn’t have asked for a more challenging test in his NFL regular season debut, as he was tasked with going up against Maxx Crosby. But the rookie offensive tackle aced it.

According to Next Gen Stats, Alt allowed zero quarterback pressures in 11 pass-block snaps against Crosby. If that stat wasn’t already eyebrow-raising, Crosby had not been held to zero pressures against an offensive lineman since Week 9 of the 2022 season.

On the day, Alt allowed three pressures across his 28 total pass-block snaps.

Alt was a wall in pass protection with active feet, athletic posture, strong anchor and nice balance throughout each repetition.

Coaches and players heaped high praise on Alt after the game.

“Joe Alt, he played really good,” Jim Harbaugh said. “Super happy for Joe.”

Justin Herbert added: “He’s a true ball player out there.”

Alt’s performance was even more impressive because he has only been playing right tackle for five months. The former Notre Dame product was a left tackle in college but was drafted to play opposite Rashawn Slater.

“Super proud of him. I’ve always known from the very beginning he was going to be dominant,” Slater said about Alt. “I have no doubt he dominated today. I haven’t even looked at the film, but I just know he did. Sky is the limit.”

Chargers PFF grades: Best, worst performers in Week 1 win over Raiders

Spotlighting Pro Football Focus’ highest and lowest-graded Chargers players from the win over the Raiders.

In Week 1, the Chargers defeated the Raiders, 22-10.

En route to victory, there were some standout performers and others who did not contribute as much.

That said, here are the best and worst performers from Sunday’s contest, according to Pro Football Focus’ player grades.

Top 5 Offense

OT Rashawn Slater — 74.8

RB J.K. Dobbins — 74.3

WR Ladd McConkey — 72.9

WR Quentin Johnston — 65.4

OT Joe Alt — 60.8

Top 5 Defense

EDGE Joey Bosa — 91.4

DT Poona Ford — 89.2

EDGE Khalil Mack — 87.2

S Elijah Molden — 82.9

CB Ja’Sir Taylor — 72.1

Bottom 5 Offense

TE/FB Scott Matlock — 27.4

TE Will Dissly — 39.8

WR Joshua Palmer — 46.7

OL Bradley Bozeman — 48.7

OL Zion Johnson — 52.4

Bottom 5 Defense

EDGE Bud Dupree — 29.7

LB Junior Colson — 44.8

DL Morgan Fox — 50.4

DL Scott Matlock — 53.5

DL Otito Ogbonnia — 56.6

Everything to know from Chargers’ win over Raiders in season opener

Here’s our recap of the Chargers’ 22-10 win over the Raiders.

The Chargers kicked off the Jim Harbaugh era in the win column, defeating the Raiders by the score of 22-10.

Here’s our recap of the Bolts’ victory in the season opener.

It was over when…

Ladd McConkey found the end zone to put the Chargers up two scores with less than four minutes remaining in the game.

Highlight of the game

The Chargers’ first touchdown of the season

https://twitter.com/chargers/status/1832905940326322325?s=46

Notable number

Jim Harbaugh improved to 5-0 as a head coach in season openers.

3 stars of the game

  1. RB J.K. Dobbins: After battling injuries throughout his NFL career, Dobbins dispelled those concerns with a monstrous performance in his first game as a Charger. He finished the game with 135 yards and a touchdown on ten carries, with long runs of 46 and 61 yards.
  2. EDGE Joey Bosa: Bosa’s past two seasons were shortened by injuries. But as we know, he is a force to be reckoned with when he’s on the field. And that he was, as Bosa made a few high-effort plays, including a forced fumble and a sack.
  3. EDGE Khalil Mack: Mack had a career year in 2023, and the veteran picked up where he left off. He amassed two sacks, a fumble recovery and a pass deflection that led to an interception by Poona Ford that sealed the game.

Quick hits

  • The offense experienced growing pains in the first half of the game. They failed to surpass 100 yards of total offense, averaging just 3.6 yards per play. Five penalties were committed. J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards combined for 12 rushing yards on eight carries. The offensive line wasn’t gelling. Wide receivers weren’t getting open.
  • In the second half, things changed as the unit started to find a rhythm. The offensive line improved in pass protection and run blocking, eventually leading to their success on the ground. The Chargers finished with 158 rushing yards in the final two quarters.
  • The lack of talent in the wide receiver room was evident as players struggled to separate. McConkey led the group with five catches for 39 yards and his first NFL touchdown. Quentin Johnston showed some juice after the catch but had a dropped pass. Joshua Palmer only had two receptions for 15 yards. Palmer was eventually ejected after getting into a scuffle with Marcus Epps.
  • The offense only converted on third down four times on 15 attempts.
  • Justin Herbert finished the game 17-of-26 passing for 144 yards and a touchdown. Herbert was sacked just once.
  • Jesse Minter’s defense was tremendous. His group forced three turnovers and had four sacks. They also limited the Raiders to 3.2 yards per carry. The interior defensive line owned the line of scrimmage, the pass rush consistently got to Gardner Minshew, and defenders rallied to the football and made plays in the open field.
  • Cameron Dicker made all three field-goal attempts, with a long of 53 yards.
  • JK Scott did not have his best day. On seven punts, Scott only got one inside the Raiders’ 20-yard line and two went for touchbacks.

What’s next?

The Chargers are on the road to take on the Panthers (0-1) next Sunday, Sept. 15, at 10:00 a.m. PT.

Staff predictions for Chargers vs. Raiders in Week 1

Find out who the Chargers Wire staff is picking between Los Angeles and Las Vegas.

The Los Angeles Chargers kick off Week 1 against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday, Sept. 8 at 1:05 p.m. PT.

Who is going to come out victorious?

Here is a look at the predictions from each of our writers at Chargers Wire:

Gavino:

The Chargers begin the new era under Jim Harbaugh against their division rival, the Raiders. After months of hearing about the 63-21 loss from last season, Los Angeles comes out motivated to silence that crowd. I think we see a well-rounded performance from the offense, with Justin Herbert throwing for two touchdowns and the rushing attack of Gus Edwards and J.K. Dobbins to combine for over 100 yards. Defensively, Jesse Minter’s group will rattle Gardner Minshew.

Chargers 24, Raiders 14

Alex K:

Los Angeles should be able to contain a Las Vegas offense led by Gardner Minshew thanks to a strong pass rush, but the Raiders may find some chunk plays to Davante Adams with Asante Samuel Jr. a late add to the injury report. Offensively, a revamped run game under Jim Harbaugh and Greg Roman should keep the Chargers on schedule while Justin Herbert spreads the ball around.

Chargers 23, Raiders 13

Spencer:

The first game of the Jim Harbaugh era will set the tone for the rest of the season. In the last matchup between these two teams, the Raiders put up 63 points in a blowout. While the Chargers have the far superior quarterback, the Raiders have better playmakers around the field. We’ll see how healthy Justin Herbert is, along with the new-look wide receiver room. Due to those uncertain circumstances, the Raiders will sneak away with a Week 1 victory.

Raiders 21, Chargers 20

Behind Enemy Lines: Previewing Week 1 with Raiders Wire

Answers to a few burning questions about the Raiders ahead of their matchup with the Chargers.

The Los Angeles Chargers and Las Vegas Raiders are about to duke it out in a divisional showdown on Sunday afternoon.

Before the matchup, Raiders Wire managing editor Levi Damien spoke with us about Los Angeles’ opponent.

What did Tom Telesco do to improve the roster this offseason?

Biggest move was to sign Chrisitan Wilkins. Upgrading the interior defensive line was a top priority. Gardner Minshew isn’t going to blow the doors off anything, but he is an upgrade over Aidan O’Connell, albeit a slight one. Not the franchise QB they needed, but it’s something.

What can we expect from Gardner Minshew, the journeyman?

He will matriculate the ball down the field and should do well utilizing the two tight end sets the Raiders plan to deploy a good portion of the time. He will also create some plays with his legs. That’s something you just don’t get from Aidan O’Connell. Mostly Minshew is the type of quarterback who may not win a lot of games for you, but he also won’t lose them for you. And with the defense being the strength of this team, that could be all the Raiders want from him.

What area/position of the Raiders could determine the outcome of this game?

If the Raiders win, it would be on the strength of their pass rush. Both getting to Justin Herbert for sacks and helping set up their opportunistic secondary to get turnovers out of it. And that task just became considerably more difficult with the loss of Malcolm Koonce to a knee injury. The Raiders will be asking backups Tyree Wilson and Janarius Robinson to step up and fill the void at EDGE opposite Maxx Crosby. If they lose, it will most likely be because they can’t sustain and finish enough drives on offense.

Who is an under-the-radar Raider that Chargers fans should know about?

Tre Tucker has really come up as a receiver. He had Lasik eye surgery in the offseason and it has made a new player out of him. The difference is striking. From a player who didn’t track passes well, and didn’t look like a natural hands catcher, to making several incredible catches in preseason I had never seen him make as a rookie last season. For some perspective, he was drafted for his 4.2 speed. Now he’s got hands to go with it. Watch out for him.

What’s your prediction for the game?

I have the Chargers winning this one. The honeymoon period is in full swing with Harbaugh and his team, especially his young QB. Herbert is elite and Harbaugh won’t squander it. They will play like believers while Harbaugh will break out some things the Raiders won’t see coming.