Tag: Raiders vs Chargers

Raiders PFF grades: 5 highest-rated from Week 1 vs Chargers

The Raiders lost 22-10 to the Chargers on Sunday, but there were a few bright spots for Las Vegas.

A day after the Raiders fell short in their Week 1 matchup with the Chargers, it’s clear the team has a lot of work to do before contending for a playoff spot this season.

But it’s just one game, and despite the 22-10 score, there were a few positives. Pro Football Focus watched the gameday film before revealing their top-performing Raiders, and it’s no surprise most of them play defense.

Linebacker Robert Spillane earned the highest mark, and three defenders joined him, including the Raiders’ big-money free agent, defensive tackle Christian Wilkins.

Both Wilkins and defensive end Maxx Crosby appear on the list despite performing poorly against Chargers rookie left tackle Joe Alt in pass-rush situations.

Defensive tackle John Jenkins got off to a strong start to follow up on a strong season last year, and despite issues blocking against the Chargers, guard Dylan Parham also graded well on Sunday.

Once the Raiders score more than 10 points in a game, we’ll see more offensive players on this list. But for now, PFF’s grades confirm what we know: the defense is solid and the Raiders offense has to find its way before this season goes off the rails.

Raiders winners and losers in 22-10 defeat vs. Chargers

The Raiders offense never got going and their defense wore down late in this Week 1 loss. Which players stood out the most?

The Raiders’ main concern this offseason was their offense and whether it could score enough points to compete.

After Week 1, that’s still a huge issue, as the Raiders offense never got going against the Chargers on Sunday in a 22-10 loss. The defense played well initially but wore down late when coach Antonio Pierce needed them most.

Miscues, poor short-yardage offense, and turnovers plagued the Raiders. They still had a chance to win, but after Pierce punted on 4th-and-1 play in Los Angeles territory late in the ballgame, the Chargers waltzed downfield to turn their 16-10 lead into an insurmountable 22-10 advantage.

Here are the winners and losers for the week after a disappointing loss for this new Raiders regime.

Winner: RB Alexander Mattison

After starting running back Zamir White got off to an awful start, reserve RB Alexander Mattison got some run as an all-down back. He responded with the Raiders’ first touchdown of the season. He caught a pass from quarterback Gardner Minshew in the flat and hurdled a defender before scampering to the end zone.

Winner: LB Robert Spillane

Every great defense needs playmakers on every level. The Raiders have a star-studded defensive line and a cohesive, talented secondary, and linebacker Robert Spillane holds down the middle.

Spillane did most of his damage in the first half, as did the entire Raiders defense. But Spillane looked primed to build on his breakout 2023 campaign — especially when he went full beast mode and pushed a Chargers lineman into the backfield with enough force to make a tackle for loss.

In total, Spillane had 10 tackles with seven solo stops.

Winner: TE Brock Bowers

It was a solid debut for rookie tight end Brock Bowers, the Raiders first-round pick this season. He finished with six catches on eight targets for 58 yards. He flashed big-play ability on a 26-yard haul.

Loser: RB Zamir White

The entire offense had a subpar day, starting with short-yardage struggles in the run game. White was stuffed at the line of scrimmage twice on the Raiders’ first drive of the game. The two botched run plays came after a 9-yard gain on first down.

White was stopped again for no gain on the Raiders’ next drive, this time on 4th-and-1. He was also leveled on pass reception just before Mattison entered the game.

When it appeared White finally found some traction, he fumbled the ball after a 10-yard run. It was one of the Raiders’ three turnovers in this game.

Loser: QB Gardner Minshew

As the Raiders’ defense was still dominating late in the first half, Minshew had a terrible miscue, fumbling on an awkward pass attempt. It ruined a promising drive that seemed poised to result in at least three points for Las Vegas.

The Raiders got the ball to open the second half, so ideally, they would score to close the first half and then score again after halftime. Instead, the Chargers notched a field goal after Minshew’s miscue to pull within one point of Las Vegas.

Additionally, Minshew missed wide receiver Davante Adams on a crucial 3rd-and-7 play in the fourth quarter. Minshew threw to Mattison instead, who was a yard short of the sticks. That’s when Pierce decided to punt, even as the Raiders were at the Chargers 43-yard line mid-way through the final frame.

Loser: OC Luke Getsy

There’s not much to say about offensive coordinator Luke Getsy, except it’s his job to make sure the offense to keeps pace with the Raiders’ defense. Early returns aren’t good, even with a quality assortment of skill players at his disposal.

Loser: Kolton Miller/O-Line

The Raiders had just 71 rushing yards and it wasn’t all White and Getsy’s fault. Blocking in general was suspect, especially when White was stopped on 4th-and-1.

Plus, left tackle Kolton Miller was abused multiple times by defensive end Khalil Mack, who had 1.5 QB sacks on the afternoon.

Loser: WR Davante Adams

It’s no secret that for superstar wide receiver Davante Adams to remain happy in Las Vegas, the offense has to be productive, ideally with Adams playing a starring role.

After one week, that hasn’t happened. The offense struggled and Adams had five catches on a paltry six targets.

Loser: HC Antonio Pierce

The Raiders lost a winnable game in Pierce’s debut as the full-time coach because of mistakes and turnovers, and one of those mistakes gets credited to Pierce.

Though I understand why he punted in the fourth quarter as the Raiders were in Chargers territory trailing 16-10, I think he trusted his defense too much, especially considering the warm weather in LA on Sunday. Both the Chargers and the Raiders defense appeared fatigued late.

That should have created an opportunity for the Raiders offense on that 4th-and-1 play. Instead, Pierce punted and the Chargers took advantage of the Raiders’ tired defenders.

The Raiders looked much like we thought they would: a solid and potentially elite defense and a suspect offense. Still, they were in this game until the end.

If trends on offense and defense hold, winning the turnover battle will be even more important than usual. That didn’t happen on Sunday, so it’s no surprise the team earned a collective “L” in this matchup. They’ll get another try next week against the Ravens in Baltimore.

Raiders Week 14 snap counts vs Chargers: LT Thayer Munford plays full game, no sacks allowed

Raiders LT Thayer Munford plays full game Thursday Night with no sacks allowed

No question Kolton Miller is missed. But Thursday night against the Chargers, his replacement held his own.

Miller has been missing games due to an injured shoulder and this week it was Thayer Munford who stepped in to start at left tackle and he had himself a game.

Not only did Munford play every snap prior to when the Raiders pulled the starters late, he didn’t give up a sack. He only gave up one QB hit and it didn’t happen until the third quarter with the Raiders up 42-0. And it didn’t affect that play, as Aidan O’Connell still got the pass off to Davante Adams for 18 yards — the longest completion on the drive that went for a touchdown.

Munford was a starting left tackle at Ohio State, but had been the primary backup at right tackle over his first two seasons as a seventh round pick by the Raiders in 2022.

Initially when Miller went down with his injury, the team opted to move Jermaine Eluemunor over from right tackle, but that didn’t go too well, and so they put Eluemunor back at right tackle and put Munford at left tackle. So far so good as neither of them gave up a sack in Sunday’s game despite facing Khalil Mack who sacked O’Connell six times in their last meeting.

Offense Spec Tms
Player Pos Num Pct Num Pct
Jordan Meredith G 64 100% 9 24%
Dylan Parham C 64 100% 9 24%
Aidan O’Connell QB 64 100% 0 0%
Jermaine Eluemunor T 61 95% 9 24%
Thayer Munford T 61 95% 9 24%
Jakobi Meyers WR 56 88% 0 0%
Davante Adams WR 52 81% 0 0%
Greg Van Roten G 49 77% 7 19%
Zamir White RB 45 70% 0 0%
Michael Mayer TE 41 64% 9 24%
Tre Tucker WR 29 45% 0 0%
Hunter Renfrow WR 27 42% 0 0%
Austin Hooper TE 26 41% 0 0%
Ameer Abdullah RB 17 27% 19 51%
Jakob Johnson FB 15 23% 10 27%
Hroniss Grasu C 15 23% 2 5%
DeAndre Carter WR 5 8% 9 24%
Justin Herron T 5 8% 0 0%
DJ Turner WR 3 5% 23 62%
Brandon Parker T 3 5% 9 24%
Brandon Bolden RB 2 3% 28 76%
Defense Spec Tms
Player Pos Num Pct Num Pct
Jack Jones CB 53 82% 0 0%
Tyree Wilson DE 45 69% 5 14%
Amik Robertson CB 45 69% 3 8%
Robert Spillane LB 43 66% 0 0%
Nate Hobbs CB 43 66% 0 0%
Marcus Epps SS 43 66% 0 0%
Tre’von Moehrig FS 43 66% 0 0%
Divine Deablo LB 43 66% 0 0%
Adam Butler DT 40 62% 9 24%
Maxx Crosby DE 39 60% 0 0%
Bilal Nichols DT 36 55% 5 14%
Malcolm Koonce DE 33 51% 14 38%
Jakorian Bennett CB 32 49% 5 14%
Jerry Tillery DT 28 43% 3 8%
Janarius Robinson DE 23 35% 5 14%
Luke Masterson LB 22 34% 28 76%
Isaiah Pola-Mao FS 22 34% 24 65%
Christopher Smith SS 22 34% 20 54%
Tyler Hall CB 22 34% 16 43%
John Jenkins DT 17 26% 4 11%
Amari Burney LB 11 17% 14 38%
Curtis Bolton LB 10 15% 28 76%
Special Teams Spec Tms
Player Pos Num Pct Num Pct
Jesper Horsted TE 0 0% 23 62%
Daniel Carlson K 0 0% 19 51%
Jacob Bobenmoyer LS 0 0% 15 41%
AJ Cole III P 0 0% 15 41%

Chargers oust HC Brandon Staley, GM Tom Telesco hours after historic trouncing vs Raiders

Chargers oust HC Brandon Staley, GM Tom Telesco hours after historic trouncing vs Raiders

No question Brandon Staley was on a hot seat coming into his third season as Chargers head coach. That seat only got hotter as the season went along and the Chargers were en route to their worst season under his leadership.

Thursday night, everything came to a head with a monumental 63-21 loss to the Raiders on Thursday Night Football.

What came Friday morning was to be expected — Staley along with GM Tom Telesco were both fired.

Thursday night’s game wasn’t the reason, but it was about as much of a slamming of the book as you’ll ever see.

The game wasn’t even as close as the 49-point final score margin. It was 42-0 at the half, 49-0 before the Chargers first score, and 63-7 early in the fourth quarter. All of which only served to make what owner Dean Spanos had to do that much easier.

It was clear after the Chargers went down 21-0 in the first quarter, they packed it in and gave up. The result was three more touchdowns before the half, each one about as easy as one can imagine. They didn’t even try to stop Brandon Bolden on a direct snap run 26 yards for a touchdown.

The Chargers had lost four of their previous five games coming into this one. The only win being an ugly 6-0 game against the hapless Patriots. They were a rudderless ship.

With Justin Herbert, Keenan Allen, and Joey Bosa on the sideline with injuries, this team had no fight in them. It was past time for a reset and now they will play out the string and be in the market for new leadership to see if they can manage to get a pretty talented team to play to the level everyone has expected them to play each season.

4 days after being shut out, Raiders score 42 points in first half vs Chargers

4 days after being shut out at home, Raiders score 42 points in first half vs Chargers

How did we get here? The Raiders came into their Thursday Night game fresh off a shut out at home last week to the Vikings. A game that ended wth a 3-0 Vikings win. In fact, the Raiders hadn’t scored a touchdown in six quarters, dating back to the second quarter against the Chiefs prior to their bye week.

And at the half, the Raiders were leading the Chargers 42-0.

The broke their scoreless and touchdown streak on their opening drive. Zamir White — who was replacing an injured Josh Jacobs — punched it in for his first career touchdown.

A strip sack by Malcolm Koonce got the Raiders the ball back at the LA 42-yard-line and the Raiders drove for a second touchdown on a deep ball from Aidan O’Connell to Tre Tucker.

Another fumble gave the Raiders the ball at the LA 31 and they again took advantage of it with a touchdown. This one on a diving 22-yard grab by Jakobi Meyers.

That gave them 21 points and it was just 12 minutes into the game. That is more points than they had scored in the previous 11 quarters combined.

From there, we had four straight punts — two from each team. But that final punt from AJ Cole was punched out on the return by DJ Turner to give the Raiders the ball at the LA 14-yard-line. Two plays later, Michael Mayer was wide open for an easy touchdown to make it a 28-0 lead.

At this point, the Raiders offense had their highest scoring game of the season. Prior to this, the Raiders offense had only scored over 20 points once. That was when they scored 23 points against the Giants in Antonio Pierce’s first game as interim head coach.

The Chargers would drive to the Vegas 35-yard-line on their next possession, but the Raiders defense stood them up and they turned it over on downs.

Then the Raiders drove for a fifth touchdown. This one with O’Connell lining up wide left and Brandon Bolden taking the direct snap and running 26 yards for the score. The Chargers had clearly just given up.

The 35 points was the most the Raiders team had scored all season, topping the 30 points they scored against the Giants.

And just to pour it on, the Raiders added one more touchdown just before the half to make it a 42-0 game, with O’Connell and Tre Tucker connecting for their second TD of the game.

Aidan O’Connell to remain Raiders starting QB Thursday night vs. Chargers

Aidan O’Connell to remain Raiders starting QB Thursday night vs. Chargers

In a 3-0 loss to the Vikings in Week 14, Aidan O’Connell had one of his worst games. Afterward, interim head coach Antonio Pierce was noncommittal about O’Connell starting again when the Chargers come to town on a short week, saying he would be evaluating everything.

On Wednesday, he was still reserving judgment until after practice.

“I’ve never said Aidan wasn’t the starter. Let’s say that first and
foremost,” said Pierce, noting that one bad performance wasn’t going to be the basis for his decision.

“We’re still evaluating. If there’s a chance to get better, a chance to improve, a chance to put us in position to win, then we have to get all the factors that go into it. … We’re going to do whatever it takes to put ourselves in position to win. And after today, we’ll have a better answer this evening.”

The evening is here, and Pierce has opted to stick with O’Connell, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

 

With four games remaining and the Raiders sitting at 5-8, there wouldn’t be a whole lot to gain by making a change at quarterback. It’s probably best to play out the season and get a good look at some young players along the way.

Even if seeing Khalil Mack across the line — he sacked O’Connell six times in their previous meeting — might cause some PTSD for the young QB.

Raiders vs Chargers final injury report: LT Kolton Miller, C Andre James OUT

LT Kolton Miller, C Andre James OUT for Raiders. WR Keenan Allen OUT for Chargers

It’s a short week for the Raiders and Chargers who meet Thursday night. That means it isn’t much time for injuries to heal. As such, both teams will be without a few starters and in danger of being without a few more.

The Raiders today officially ruled out left tackle Kolton Miller and center Andre James. In addition, Josh Jacobs was listed as questionable after missing the entire week with a quad injury.

Showing up on the injury report was Davante Adams with an illness.

Thayer Munford will start at left tackle for the Raiders, Dylan Parham will start at center and Jordan Meredith will start at left guard (replacing Parham).

The Chargers will be without WR Keenan Allen. They were already without Justin Herbert who was placed on injured reserve this week. So, replacement Easton Stick will now not have their best receiver on the field as he makes his first career start.

Raiders, Chargers Monday injury report: RB Josh Jacobs has quad injury on short week

Monday injury report: RB Josh Jacobs has quad injury on short week

It was revealed today that Josh Jacobs suffered a quad injury injury in the team’s loss Sunday to the Vikings. And if the Raiders hope to get their workhorse back without missing any time, this is not the week for that.

The Raiders are on a short turnaround this week with the Chargers coming to Vegas Thursday night.

The team had just a walk-thru today, but projected that they would be without Jacobs who left Sunday’s game early and headed for the locker room.

Alos projected to not practice today for the Raiders were DE Maxx Crosby, C Andre James, LT Kolton Miller, and LB Kana’i Mauga.

The Chargers also had just a walk-thru. They were projected to be without WR Keenan Allen, QB Justin Herbert, and DB Deane Leonard.

Raiders winners and losers in 24-17 defeat vs. Chargers

Raiders winners and losers in 24-17 defeat vs. Chargers

Different quarterback, same issues for the Las Vegas Raiders.

The Raiders and rookie QB Aidan O’Connell, starting in place of the injured Jimmy Garoppolo, fell to the Chargers in Los Angeles on Sunday, 24-17, as turnovers and a variety of mistakes led to a 24-7 deficit that Vegas couldn’t overcome.

Ex-Raiders defensive end Khalil Mack had an incredible six QB sacks and forced one of O’Connell’s two lost fumbles. If that wasn’t bad enough for Raiders fans, O’Connell’s other costly fumble was on an arm tuck reminiscent of the infamous Tuck Rule in New England so many years ago.

Even as Las Vegas mounted a comeback, penalties and more mistakes stopped their progress. Here are the winners and losers for the week after the Raiders fell to 1-3 on the campaign.

Winner: RB Josh Jacobs

The Raiders had just 82 yards on offense in the first half before finding a groove in the third quarter. Running back Josh Jacobs had a lot to do with that, displaying impressive versatility as a runner, pass catcher, and blocker.

He finished with 58 yards rushing and 81 yards receiving, and he notched a touchdown on a late 4th-and-goal play, tightening the score to 24-17. The  Raiders got the ball back after the Chargers’ failed 4th-and-inches play from their own 34.

On the ensuing drive, an interception from O’Connell near the goal line ended the Raiders’ chances. But without Jacobs’ effort, Las Vegas likely wouldn’t have had to opportunity to tie it up.

Winner: WR Davante Adams

Wide Receiver Davante Adams hurt his shoulder in the first half, on an inaccurate throw from O’Connell. Though the injury appeared serious, Adams returned and also played a huge role in the Vegas comeback.

He finished with eight catches for 75 yards with multiple huge grabs down the stretch. Most of all, he showed how tough he is. The Raiders will have to follow his lead to turn the season around.

Winner: DE Maxx Crosby

Though Mack was the star EDGE player in this game, defensive end Maxx Crosby was his usual disruptive self. He notched two QB sacks and would have had a third if not for an offsides penalty on cornerback David Long.

Crosby also led the defense during its second-half resurgence, which hit a high note when they stuffed the Chargers’ 4th-and-inches play late in the game, giving Las Vegas a chance to tie the score with minutes remaining.

Winner: S Tre’von Moehrig

The Raiders had their first defensive takeaway of the season, thanks to an interception from safety Tre’von Moehrig. He showed impressive athleticism on a nice return, but linebacker Robert Spillane drew a flag for an illegal block.

The penalty ruined great field position, which proved crucial.

The Raiders got the ball at their own 24-yard line rather than in Chargers territory and looked good on a drive to the LA 39, only to punt the football after a failed third down. A questionable penalty on WR Jakobi Meyers, on an alleged crack-back block, also thwarted their progress, as did Mack’s sixth sack.

Still, with better field position, the Raiders offense had a great chance to capitalize on Moehrig’s takeaway. Instead, they were left with zero points.

Loser: LB Robert Spillane

Spillane’s illegal block was a huge mistake, and the Raiders linebacker also had his share of missed tackles, as many Raiders defenders did, especially in the first half.

Additionally, Spillane provided little resistance as he attempted to defend the Chargers’ first touchdown of the day, a run by QB Justin Herbert.

Loser: OT Kolton Miller

Mack was a menace all afternoon, even getting to the Raiders’ best offensive lineman, offensive tackle Kolton Miller. Miller allowed a strip sack on O’Connell’s second lost fumble of the game.

Just like O’Connell’s first costly fumble, which happened on the previous drive, it resulted in seven points for the Chargers. Suddenly, Las Vegas was in a 24-7 hole after their rookie QB succumbed to the Chargers’ pressure, allowed by Miller and others.

Loser: OT Jermaine Eluemunor

No player could contain Mack, and that certainly includes OT Jermaine Eluemunor. He got beat for multiple sacks, even when he had help from a running back or tight end.

Loser: QB Aidan O’Connell

O’Connell showed impressive grit on Sunday, but he still had three turnovers, including an interception to close the game for Los Angeles.

He was under constant attack from Mack and others, but his first fumble was self-inflicted, as he pump faked and lost the football, a la Tom Brady on the infamous Tuck Rule.

The rules have changed, however, so even though the plays looked very similar, the rule worked against Las Vegas yet again. It was an enormous mistake by O’Connell, as the Raiders were only down 10-7 at the time.

Considering the ghosts of Raiders past that appeared in LA (Mack and the Tuck Rule) it’s actually impressive that Las Vegas had a chance with a rookie at the helm. O’Connell blew the opportunity, so despite a gritty performance, he’s on the Loser list to start his Raiders career.

Loser: DL Jerry Tillary

After O’Connell’s tuck and fumble, the Chargers drove for a touchdown. They were helped along the way by a wildly undisciplined play by defensive lineman Jerry Tillery.

After Crosby got juked badly by Herbert, Tillery slammed his former teammate to the ground after the play was over.

Loser: HC Josh McDaniels; GM Dave Ziegler

Head coach Josh McDaniels and his longtime friend, general manager Dave Ziegler can’t like what they see from their very own Raiders roster. Not only is their depth lacking, but the overall starting talent in the trenches is questionable at best.

Furthermore, they were tasked with finding a QB after moving on from longtime Raiders signal-caller Derek Carr, and neither Garoppolo nor the rookie they drafted, O’Connell, have shown they are the answer.

O’Connell showed some potential, however. But the Raiders don’t have time to waste. The season is in peril already, and Las Vegas needs to win now to keep their hope alive.

The Raiders’ film session should be painful, as the losers this week weren’t the only players who had bad moments (LB Divine Deablo and cornerbacks Amik Robertson and Long come to mind). Can McDaniels coach his way out of this? Will his players respond? The Raiders will try to answer some of those questions next week at home against the Packers on Monday night.

Raiders winners and losers in 27-20 victory vs. Chargers

Raiders winners and losers in 27-20 victory vs. Chargers

[sendtonews_embed video_id=”IWjwYAVgwq-2403130-7498″]

The Raiders nearly wasted a dominant performance on offense and defense against the Chargers but came out on top, 27-20, at Allegiant Stadium on Sunday.

After a slow start that included two early turnovers, the Raiders offense averaged nearly seven yards per play against Los Angeles, led by wide receiver Davante Adams and running back Josh Jacobs. The Las Vegas defense didn’t allow a touchdown until the fourth quarter, hounding Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert along the way.

It added up to a 27-13 fourth-quarter lead, but the Raiders defense had to stop a last-gasp effort by the Chargers to earn a close win, Las Vegas’ third-straight.

Here are the winners and losers for the week, as the Raiders put a dent in the Chargers’ playoff plans and improved their own record to 5-7.

Winner: DE Chandler Jones

This season has been disappointing for defensive end Chandler Jones, but on Sunday, he did his best to make up for it.

Jones had a huge impact early as the offense sputtered in the first quarter. He got his first full QB sack of the season on the Chargers’ first drive, and he followed that with a big 4th-and-2 tackle that stopped Herbert short of a first down on LA’s second drive.

He ended up with three QB sacks, with his second being the most impactful. The play held the Chargers to a field goal try and a 10-0 lead.

The offense got cooking after that, and thanks to Jones and the defense, QB Derek Carr and company were within striking distance when they did. Jones ended his day with those three sacks, two tackles for loss, a pass defensed, four QB hits, and six tackles.

Winner: RB Josh Jacobs

Jacobs racked up 144 rushing yards and a touchdown on 26 carries, once again proving to be a key cog in the Raiders’ offensive machine. He had one of the Raiders’ two early turnovers, a fumble after a nifty reception, but he didn’t lose focus, and coach Josh McDaniels didn’t stop feeding him the football.

Jacobs demoralized the Chargers with several high-effort runs, refusing to go down at first contact. He’s the perfect compliment to the Raiders’ other explosive option on offense, Davante Adams.

Winner: WR Davante Adams

The Raiders offense didn’t get on track until Carr and McDaniels targeted Adams in the second quarter. From that point forward, Adams dominated. He ended up with 177 receiving yards on eight receptions, including two touchdowns. His performance set an all-time mark for Raiders wide receivers.

He was a threat all over the field and both of his touchdowns were from further than 30 yards out, including a 45-yard grab on a flea flicker.

After turning to Adams, Carr found his groove and more than made up for his early interception, which the Chargers returned for a touchdown.

Winner: Raiders defense

From the Chargers’ first play from scrimmage, it was clear Herbert would have his work cut out for him, as defensive end Maxx Crosby forced a fumble that the Chargers recovered.

The Raiders went on to play their finest game on defense, not allowing a touchdown until the fourth quarter. The defensive front built on their solid performance last week (as did the Las Vegas offensive line), and was an imposing force all afternoon.

The unit had five sacks, five tackles for loss, and 14 QB hits. The pressure allowed the defensive backs more room for error, and Herbert had just one touchdown and a pedestrian 88.5 QB rating.

Winner: DB Nate Hobbs and S Duron Harmon

The Raiders took control of the game in the third quarter, and it started with a forced turnover from the silver and black. Cornerback Nate Hobbs, in his first game back from the injured reserve, recovered a fumble after safety Duron Harmon punched the football loose.

 

Adams caught a 31-yard TD on the very next play and Las Vegas was ahead for good.

Loser: CB Amik Robertson

Chargers WR Keenan Allen said the Raiders secondary would be “barbequed chicken” if they covered him one-on-one on Sunday. But for much of the day, Allen was quiet — until Herbert made an incredible touchdown throw to Allen at the expense of cornerback Amik Robertson.

Robertson’s coverage was solid, but he took the “L” on this play, as he was all alone with Allen in the end zone. Thankfully for him, Robertson’s squad got the “W” and put a dent in Allen’s plans for the playoffs.

Loser: C Andre James

Center Andre James and the offensive line allowed zero QB sacks and just two QB hits, but James is on the Loser list for a high snap as the Raiders’ offense was still trying to hit its stride.

It was on a 3rd-and-5 play as Las Vegas trailed, 10-7. The Raiders still notched a field goal on the drive, but anytime James botches a snap, he’s in danger of earning an “L” from this column.

Loser: Kicker Daniel Carlson

Kicker Daniel Carlson was 2-for-3 on his field goals and hit all of his extra points. But he missed his first-ever kick at Allegiant stadium, breaking a streak of 47 makes in a row.

His record was impressive, however, in comparison with other kickers in league history. He rebounded nicely, too, as he returned to hit a fourth-quarter field goal that gave the Raiders a seven-point lead.

This was the Raiders’ finest performance of the season, and though it appeared they might blow it late, as they have in other games this year, Las Vegas held on. Just like last week’s win in Seattle, they overcame a slow start and got an impressive win.

Perhaps the rest of their season can unfold in a similar fashion. The Raiders got off to an awful start and dug themselves a 2-7 hole. But after three straight wins, Las Vegas has an opportunity to finish strong and maybe even earn a winning record.

McDaniels has to have his team ready to play Thursday night against the struggling Rams, but Las Vegas should be favored to win that game, just as they were favored against the Chargers. Can they win four in a row? Right now, I wouldn’t bet against them.