Tag: chargers raiders

5 numbers that tell tale of Chargers’ loss to Raiders

Five numbers helped tell the story of the Chargers’ loss to the Raiders.

The Chargers fell to 6-6 after a 27-20 loss to the Raiders.

Here are five numbers that tell the story of the Bolts’ dropping the Week 13 matchup.

Top Twitter reactions from Chargers’ loss to Raiders

How the internet reacted to the Chargers’ loss to the Raiders on Sunday.

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The Chargers’ playoff hopes are tainted after their 27-20 loss to the Raiders. Justin Herbert and company could not make a comeback in the final two minutes of the game after being down by a touchdown.

Las Vegas star receiver Davante Adams had two second-half touchdowns that helped the Raiders seal the win and complicate the Bolts’ chances of making the postseason even more.

Here’s what Twitter had to say about the tough loss for Los Angeles:

Will the Chargers-Raiders matchup be on in your area?

Find out if you will get the matchup between the Los Angeles Chargers and Las Vegas Raiders on national television.

The Los Angeles Chargers (6-5) are set to get Week 13 underway against the Las Vegas Raiders (4-7).

Those in the blue area on the TV map will get the game on CBS, courtesy of 506 Sports.

If you’re in the red area, you will get the matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and Cincinnati Bengals.

Greg Gumbel and Adam Archuleta will have the call.

Los Angeles is currently a 2.5-point underdog to Las Vegas. Sunday’s matchup will begin at 1:25 pm PT.

Chargers’ keys to victory vs. Raiders

Here is how the Chargers can beat the Raiders on Sunday.

The Chargers continue their gauntlet of must-win games on their quest to earn an AFC playoff bid with a rivalry game against the Raiders on Sunday.

While Las Vegas has struggled in the wins department and dropped the Week 1 matchup between these teams, victory is never guaranteed in the AFC West.

Here’s what Los Angeles must do to come away victorious.

Load up defensively

It’s no secret that the Chargers are a moribund run defense, allowing 6 100 yard rushers in 11 games so far this season. Part of that is injuries, certainly. But part of it is also by schematic design: Brandon Staley wants to live in the nickel, which results in 2-4-5 fronts with light boxes, essentially daring opposing offenses to run the ball. Well, you don’t have to dare the Raiders, who have run Josh Jacobs 57 times in their last two games. Without Darren Waller and Hunter Renfrow, Davante Adams is the only threat in the passing game. Asante Samuel Jr., Michael Davis, and Derwin James have all played well this season and should be trusted to handle that. I’d like to see Staley adjust and bring in someone like Breiden Fehoko to play the majority of snaps as a third-down lineman with Sebastian Joseph-Day and Morgan Fox.

Keep Austin Ekeler fresh (and involved)

Joshua Kelley is back from injured reserve. Isaiah Spiller has shown flashes in his limited run this season, enough so that Sony Michel was a healthy inactive last week against Arizona. The narrative around this room in training camp was that the Chargers (and Ekeler himself) didn’t want Ekeler taking a massive amount of snaps the way he did last season, and now is the time to put that plan forth. Despite the per carry numbers, Ekeler looked at his burstiest against San Francisco when Spiller took more of his rushing work. LA has largely moved away from running the ball, which will probably continue, so getting Kelley and Spiller more involved in the passing game is the next step in this evolution. Getting your best players the ball is always a good plan, but 15 targets to Ekeler, as was the case last week, is perhaps an overcorrection.

Spread the ball around

The Chargers were successful in the Week 1 matchup with Vegas when they let Justin Herbert find an open man, regardless of name recognition. No Chargers player had more than four targets on Herbert’s 34 attempts, and nine players caught a pass. The Raiders have since proven they’re one of the worst pass defenses in the league, the worst by DVOA, and that’s even before Anthony Averett hit injured reserve this week. eight of the nine players who recorded a reception in Week 1 are healthy and available in this one, with Mike Williams still sidelined by an ankle injury. That’s been a rare thing for the Chargers this season, and hopefully, it means Joe Lombardi is willing to open up the passing game and let Herbert do what he does best.

Pressure Derek Carr

We all know the story when it comes to Carr: make him feel uncomfortable and reap the rewards. LA recorded six sacks and nine hits on Carr in Week 1, forcing two fumbles and three interceptions as a result. When pressured this season, Carr’s completion percentage craters to 52.2% from 67.7% when he has a clean pocket. Blitzing Carr drops his completion percentage from 65.1% to 56.5%, 23rd out of 27 QBs with at least 75 dropbacks against the blitz. Brandon Staley has been more aggressive with the blitz since the bye, sending an extra defender a third of the time over the past four games. That’s tied for the sixth-highest mark in the league.

Stay aggressive

While we’re on the topic of aggressiveness, Staley has finally found a bit more moxie as a fourth down and late-game decision-maker this season. Going for two to win the Cardinals game in regulation was the right decision because LA did not deserve to win that game after trailing for most of regulation and likely would not have come away with an overtime victory. The Chargers were 4 for 4 on fourth down against the Chiefs in a game where Staley punted on a 4th and 6 with 4 minutes left to salt the game away essentially. It’s been a relearning curve, especially because LA has struggled in short-yardage situations. But more often than not, rivalry games are about breaking the other team’s spirit. Las Vegas looked listless until Carr questioned his teammates’ drive and led them to two straight overtime victories. The Chargers will need to hit the gas and keep their foot pressed all game if they’re going to break the Raiders.

Finish strong, for once

I mentioned the two overtime wins for Las Vegas, and that’s a key point because of how badly the Chargers have struggled in the second halves of games this season. Even in Week 1 against this Raiders team, LA jumped out to a 17-3 halftime lead only to squeak by with a 24-19 victory that featured three punts and a missed field goal on their last four non-kneel drives. It’s been the story all season: the Chargers go into the half with the lead, come out looking somewhere between mediocre and awful in the third quarter, then spend the final frame scrambling to keep up (if they’ve already blown the lead) or tripping over themselves (if they’re still ahead). In the six games where the Chargers have held a lead going into halftime, they’ve gone 3-3, including both losses to the Chiefs and the Sunday Night collapse against San Francisco. The Raiders have shown they won’t go quietly, so LA needs to bring their A game for all four quarters to come away with a win.

Chargers’ reasons for optimism vs. Raiders in Week 13

Reasons why the Chargers will beat the Raiders on Sunday.

The Chargers advanced to 6-5 last week with a last-minute comeback victory over the Cardinals.

On Sunday, they match up with a Raiders team that’s been sluggish for much of the season but is beginning to string solid games together.

Here are four reasons to be optimistic about LA’s chances of sweeping the silver and black and staying in the playoff mix.

Down and out

For once, the Chargers are arguably the less injured team going into Week 13. Los Angeles is missing Rashawn Slater, Joey Bosa, Mike Williams, and likely Corey Linsley (concussion). Still, the Raiders will be lacking Hunter Renfrow, Darren Waller, Nate Hobbs, and potentially Josh Jacobs (calf). With Renfrow and Waller out, Las Vegas’ offense has flowed through Jacobs, who will not practice in full all week in hopes that he can play Sunday. If he can’t go, moving the ball will fall to Derek Carr and rookie Zamir White, who hasn’t had more than two carries in a game all season. On defense, losing Hobbs and Anthony Averett means that 2020 undrafted free agent Tyler Hall will likely start at cornerback after being signed from the Raiders practice squad earlier this week. While Hall has performed admirably, giving up just two receptions for 6 yards in 50 snaps, matching him up with Keenan Allen or DeAndre Carter should be advantageous for the Chargers.

Michael Davis’ re-emergence

Davis has really turned things around since training camp when pundits criticized him for pinning his poor play last season on personal drama. Since then, Davis has put together a strong season, playing well enough to start a few CB2 debates in the preseason and then filling in admirably for JC Jackson while the prized free agent battled ankle and knee ailments. With Jackson out for the year, Davis has once again seized the opportunity, most recently by allowing just three receptions for 36 yards on six targets against Arizona. The fact that Davis was able to do that against a receiver like DeAndre Hopkins bodes well for the Davante Adams matchup: Adams had 141 yards and a touchdown in Week 1 against LA and will garner a healthy amount of targets, covered or not, with the injuries to the Raiders offense.

The Khalil Mack difference

Khalil Mack won the Chargers’ first Raiders game this season, sealing a victory with a strip sack of Derek Carr on fourth down. Mack had three sacks, including that one, against Vegas, but he’s cooled down a bit since then without Joey Bosa on the other side. Opposing offensive lines have been able to allocate more resources to limiting Mack without worrying about another All-Pro caliber threat on the other side, and that’s been evident in Mack’s stat line: the former Defensive Player of the Year has just four sacks since Week 1’s trio. On Sunday, though, Mack gets the Raiders again, and his performance in Week 1 feels like it was based on more than just Bosa’s presence on the field.

Justin Herbert vs. Patrick Graham

Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham is 0-2 against Justin Herbert – a 37-21 loss last season when Graham was with the Giants and Week 1’s defeat. In those two games, Herbert is 49 of 65 (75.4%) with six touchdowns and zero interceptions. Small sample size there, but the accuracy numbers are a full eight points higher than Herbert’s career-best throughout a season (67.4%). Long story short: Graham hasn’t found the answer to LA’s signal caller. Third time’s the charm, as they say, but Herbert will have Keenan Allen on a full snap count for only the second time this season. That bodes well for Herbert’s chances of going 3 for 3 against Graham’s defense.

4 key things to know about Chargers’ Week 13 opponent: Raiders

To get you prepped for the Chargers’ Week 13 matchup with the Raiders, here are some important things to know about them.

After defeating the Cardinals, the Chargers meet with the Raiders on Sunday, Dec. 4 at 1:25 pm PT.

To get you prepped for the Week 13 bout, here are four key things to know about Los Angeles’ opponent ahead of the matchup.

Running wild

The Chargers have one of the league’s worst run defenses, and they’re set to go up against one of the top rushers. Josh Jacobs leads the NFL in rushing yards (1,159). Jacobs has scored the fourth-most touchdowns with nine. He is coming off a monstrous performance in the Raiders’ victory over the Seahawks, in which he had a franchise-record 229 yards rushing and two scores. He also had six catches for 74 yards.

Adams has been awesome

Davante Adams is just one yard shy (999) of his fourth 1,000-yard-plus season in the past five seasons. Adams has been fantastic over the last four games, averaging 121.8 yards per game while catching at least seven passes and hauling five touchdowns. The wealth has been distributed to him plenty by Derek Carr, as Adams leads the league in targets with 123 this season.

Same ol’ problems

The Raiders have heavily relied on their offense to keep them in games because their defense has still been well below par. The 25.1 points per game Las Vegas is surrendering is the seventh most. They are struggling to get off the field on third down, allowing teams to convert 45.52% of the time, which is the fifth-most. Their opponents are scoring in the red zone 69.44% of the time, second-most. Their 16 sacks are tied for the least. They have produced the second-fewest turnovers (8).

Madd Maxx

Despite being abysmal, the Raiders have one bright spot on their defense: Maxx Crosby. Crosby has been on a tear, proving to be one of the elite defensive players in the league this season. Crosby is tied for third in sacks (11) and tied for eighth in quarterback pressures (45). Along with being a prolific pass rusher, Crosby is arguably one of the best players at the position at defending the run. He is the league-leading edge defender in run stops with 32.

NFL betting: Point spread, over/under for Chargers vs. Raiders in Week 13

The Chargers are slightly favored heading into Week 13.

The Los Angeles Chargers (6-5) meet the Las Vegas Raiders (4-7) in Week 13 of the 2022 regular season.

Here are the betting odds for the matchup, per Tipico Sportsbook:

Spread Moneyline Total Points
Los Angeles Chargers -1.5 -120 O 50.5
-113
Las Vegas Raiders +1.5 +120 U 50.5
-107

The Chargers are coming off a 25-24 come-from-behind victory over the Cardinals. Justin Herbert threw a one-yard touchdown pass to Austin Ekeler with 15 seconds left, then hit Gerald Everett for the two-point conversion to seal the deal.

Meanwhile, the Raiders are coming off a 40-34 overtime win over the Seahawks. Joshua Jacobs ran 86 yards for the game-ending touchdown. Jacobs had a franchise-record 229 yards rushing and two scores. He also had six catches for 74 yards.

The last time the Chargers and Raiders played was in Week 1. Herbert guided the team to a 24-19 victory with his three-touchdown performance. The defense also helped, picking off Derek Carr three times.

Sunday’s contest will begin at 1:25 p.m. PT and be broadcasted on CBS.

How Chargers’ Asante Samuel Jr. and company guarded Raiders WR Davante Adams in Week 1

Breaking down how the Chargers cornerbacks fared against Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams in Week 1.

The Las Vegas Raiders traded for Davante Adams with the intention of expanding the potency of their pass attack and creating more mismatches across the offense.

Throughout most of their Week 1 matchup, the Los Angeles Chargers had an answer for Adams and the rest of Derek Carr’s weapons despite missing one of their key defensive pieces.

Star cornerback J.C. Jackson was declared out for the game Sunday morning. Jackson continues to rehab from preseason ankle surgery, and he was listed as doubtful ahead of the game. The accomplished cover agent was handed an $82.5 million deal in free agency to lock down Adams and the NFL’s best wide receivers.

Instead, the Chargers had to find other ways to blanket Adams and stop the All-Pro. Second-year cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. looked quick and confident in coverage. Samuel wasn’t a true shadow on Adams, but the pair got well-acquainted across multiple snaps. Derwin James, Michael Davis, and Bryce Callahan also took reps in man coverage against Adams.

Samuel typically lined up in off-man coverage with five to seven yards of cushion, or press coverage with a safety over the top. He guarded Adams exclusively on the outside with Byrce Callahan in the slot. 

Samuel had a few good press coverage reps on the first drive. He made solid contact on his jam during the release phase then squeezed Adams to the sideline, disrupting the timing of the route. Carr’s throw ended up too far in front.

The Chargers forced 3rd and 16 and showed a Cover 2 high press man look that ended up rolling into zone coverage with James in a STAR backer role. Samuel did his best to slow down Adams as much as he could on the route stem, but Adams wiggled free on a pocket fade and got open for Carr before Alohi Gilman could close on the ball. The play resulted in a 21-yard first down.

Samuel didn’t line up in front of Adams for the rest of the drive. With the Raiders marching into the red zone, the Chargers opted for height over athleticism due to the shortened field. The plan didn’t work out when Adams slipped by Michael Davis on slant using an outside release to bring the offense inside the 10-yard line. Davis made up the mistake, however, with tight defense on a fade ball the next play.

The Chargers opted to have Derwin James playing down low for the most part on Darren Waller and Nasir Adderly as the single-high safety. The Chargers did not want to give up plays over the top of the secondary. Naturally, Samuel had to be cautious with his depth. Carr and Adams took advantage of this, using a quick out on the next drive for an easy completion. They linked up in a similar fashion against James for a five-yard pickup on the drive after that.

However, Adams didn’t find much success after that. Frustration even boiled over halfway through the second quarter Adams and Samuel put extra vigor into their blocking assignments on a run by Ameer Abdullah. Both players got fistfuls of the other’s jersey and had some choice words to share.

It was clear Samuel, along with the rest of the secondary, did not back down from the challenge.

When the second half began, the Raiders made it a priority to get Adams involved and trusted him to find separation in one-on-one matchups. Adams gained a first down on a comeback route with Samuel. Adams did well to box out Samuel at the catch point and not allow him a window to the ball.

Samuel never followed Adams into the slot, mostly guarding him on the outside. Adams deked Samuel inside on a long out route on the second play of the half, turning the cornerback’s hips by selling his head and shoulders inside. The Raiders picked up 41 yards on the play then scored moments later in the drive.

But Samuel responded when he took the field next with a clear head and primed instincts. Adams shook him again on a comeback route on 2nd and 25. Samuel recovered and dove across Adams for the breakup.

The Raiders realized Samuel wasn’t following Adams, so they dialed up a deep shot from the slot on the next drive. Samuel was in man coverage against Hunter Renfrow on the play, but abandoned his man once he realized Adams was loose. He flipped his hips and closed on Adams, ending up floating in front of the wide receiver for the interception. The ball was short and behind from Carr, and the Chargers capitalized on it.

Samuel battled against Adams for the rest of the game. Adams ended up scoring his first touchdown as a Raider on him, a perfectly thrown ball that Adams reeled in by his fingertips on short out in the end zone. On paper, Samuel and the Chargers secondary lost the matchup. Adams went over 141 receiving yards on 10 catches. The 41-yard catch by Adams was probably the best route ran by a receiver on Sunday, and Samuel had plenty of moments where he was out-finessed by the Raiders’ No. 1 target.

But the important takeaway is Samuel held his own and rebounded with a fresh mentality every play, a necessary trait to exhibit when guarding the best receiver in the league. He was picked on during certain plays, but he did not allow those moments to spiral him. Samuel picked himself up and contributed his share of highlights and key defensive moments in the 24-19 win. 

Staley’s decision to award the game ball to Samuel should tell fans everything they need to know about how impressive the cornerback was. When Jackson returns to complete the secondary, he should be even better.

Chargers WR DeAndre Carter raises eyebrows vs. Raiders

DeAndre Carter was the highlight of the Chargers’ wide receiver group against the Raiders.

There are a million reasons why DeAndre Carter shouldn’t be in a Chargers uniform right now.

Carter arrived at Washington High School in Fremont as a 115-pound freshman, but football practice wore on him. His coach sent him home, where a 14-year-old Carter started vomiting. His father took him to the hospital, where the staff measured his blood sugar at 740. He was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes and shrunk to 72 pounds.

Yet, he rebounded, eventually being named third-team all-state in California in 2011.

A search for Carter’s recruiting profile out of Fremont, CA, yields only results for a 2024 offensive tackle recruit of the same name. He played four seasons at FCS Sacramento State, a program that hasn’t generated a draft pick since 1997. He went undrafted, further slimming his chances of sticking in the NFL. At only 5’8”, he’s the shortest player on the Chargers’ active roster, five inches shorter than the next wide receiver.

Anytime a player like Carter surfaces, you’re tempted to ask about their “why.” What kept them going all this time? Kept them working even as they took a full-time job at a middle school to make ends meet? Kept their head up after they were cut the first, second, or ninth time?

For Carter, that answer is easy: his brother, Kaylan.

When DeAndre was in college, Kaylan collapsed during weight training with his high school football team. Doctors found that Kaylan had an enlarged heart. Unfortunately, he never left the hospital, passing away at 17.

“I made him a promise that I would make it in the NFL for both of us. It was both of our dreams. I always took it upon myself that I was going to do everything that he wanted to do — that we wanted to do — and that he never got the opportunity to. Since he passed away, that’s been my drive and motivation, to get it every day — and when it wasn’t looking good in the NFL to keep pushing and keep working,” Carter told the Washington Post last year.

Make it he did, but not before quite the winding road. Carter started in Baltimore as a rookie free agent in 2015 but was among the first cuts after failing to win the returner job. Two and a half months on the Raiders practice squad. New England’s practice squad after that, where he was called “a more athletic version of [Julian] Edelman” during the preseason.

Then, Martin Luther King Middle School in Hayward, CA, where Carter worked as a substitute teacher while working to earn his next shot.

That shot came with the 49ers, where he spent another year on the practice squad. Then the Eagles, where a story on Carter’s background called him the team’s “second-best receiver through three preseason games.” Offensive coordinator Mike Groh said he was “glad that [Carter was] here.” He made the 53-man roster for the first time at 25 but was waived after two games. First, Houston claimed him, then Chicago claimed him.

Then, Washington, where he finally found a groove at 28 years old. Special teams coordinator Nate Kaczor called him “a fun player to be around.” Ron Rivera said, “we saw that during camp, and we should’ve known better” when Carter started making an impact as a receiver. Terry McLaurin lamented that he didn’t “think enough people gave [Carter] credit for how good he can be at receiver.” Carter scored his first career touchdown with Washington in a game where Carter wore cleats adorned with images of Scooby-Doo, Kaylan’s favorite cartoon.

But Washington didn’t re-sign Carter after the 2021 season. Instead, he returned to California, where he’s on a one-year deal with the Chargers this season. As a result, everyone assumed he was signed purely to be the new returner.

That is, until training camp.

Carter exploded this offseason, scoring touchdowns left and right in practice and earning the trust of all three QBs on the roster. Justin Herbert called him “friendly to the QBs.” Brandon Staley said it’s “not an accident, guys like throwing to [him].” The preseason convinced many that Carter would have a role on offense in some capacity, but most thought it’d be as a gadget player. End-arounds, reverses, jet sweeps, that sort of thing.

We probably should’ve known better.

When the dust settled on Week 1, Keenan Allen was the Chargers’ leading receiver. No surprise, although Allen did leave the game early with a hamstring injury. Second place wasn’t $60 million man Mike Williams, nor was it the warp-driven hype train of second-year receiver Joshua Palmer.

It was Carter.

After the game, Staley gave Carter one of five game balls, the only offensive player to receive one. Staley reminded the team that the 29-year-old has been “one of us from the get-go” before tossing him the ceremonious ball.

Allen may miss multiple weeks with the hamstring issue, telling the media on Sunday that there’s only a “small chance” he plays on Thursday against the Chiefs. That’ll open more opportunities for Carter, of course. But he’s earned them already, injury notwithstanding.

Maybe the Chargers’ comments on Carter are the latest entry in a bittersweet journal. But, perhaps, at the end of the season, the comments look more in line with what every other team has said. “We love you and your work ethic, but we need to go in a different direction.” Carter has heard it before. But after everything Carter has been through – rebuilding his body as a 72-pound 14-year-old, losing his brother, eight years in the NFL, nine teams, nine cuts, and a pit stop at a middle school – it looks like he’s found a home in Los Angeles.

Twitter reacts to Chargers’ win over Raiders in season opener

Here are the best reactions to the Chargers’ victory over the Raiders in the season opener.

The Chargers defeated the Raiders 24-19 in their first game of the season. Some highlights included multiple sacks from star defender Khalil Mack and eye-popping touchdown throws from Justin Herbert.

The last time the two teams faced, Las Vegas eliminated Los Angeles’ playoff hopes in a heartbreaking overtime loss last year, but it’s safe to say that the Bolts got their revenge.

Here’s how the internet reacted to today’s game: