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Similar to their week one matchup, this game between the Chargers and the Raiders was another back-and-forth contest with plenty of “wow” plays and even more impressive individual performances.
Unfortunately, the two biggest performance came from a pair of Raiders in running back Josh Jacobs (144 yards, touchdown) and wide receiver Davante Adam (177 yards, two touchdowns). Both were simply too much for the Chargers who are still so throttled by injuries on both sides of the ball.
Justin Herbert got the chance at the end, but 22 seconds and no timeouts quickly led to the Chargers falling to .500 after a 27-20 decision in Las Vegas.
For a complete quarter-by-quarter recap of tonight’s game, check it all out below.
First Quarter
The Raiders received the opening kickoff of the game but the Chargers defense was ready and forced a quick three-and-out. On the Bolts’ first drive of the game, it looked like they had also been forced into a three-and-out but Brandon Staley called a nifty fake punt and Joshua Kelley was able to run for a first down. However, that only led to yet another short stint for the offense as they punted three plays later. Former Chargers defensive tackle Jerry Tillery had three pressures and a quarterback hit through the team’s first seven plays.
After punting, the Bolts got the ball back only a few plays later as Kenneth Murray punched the ball loose out of Josh Jacobs’ grasp.
Even after they began the drive first-and-10 at the Raiders 24-yard line, the Chargers failed to gain a first and failed to convert on their second fourth-down attempt. Las Vegas took over with 6:11 remaining in the quarter.
On the third play of the Raiders’ next drive, Bryce Callhan caught a deflected pass by Asante Samuel Jr. and returned it for the Chargers’ first pick-six of the 2022 season. Just like that, the Chargers were on the board 7-0.
The Raiders once again could not muster a first down — aside from one gained by a defensive holding penalty via Breiden Fehoko — and they punted away swiftly back to the Bolts.
As time ticked away in the first, the Bolts were driving up 7-0.
Second Quarter
The Chargers got all the way down to the Raiders 15-yard line but Justin Herbert stepped up into a sack by Chandler Jones which forced a 37-yard field goal by Cameron Dicker to put the Bolts up 10-0 with 11:37 to play in the half.
Las Vegas found some life on their next drive thanks to their top playmakers Davante Adams and Josh Jacobs. Adams caught several passes to help march the offense down the field and Jacobs broke free for a 20-yard score to cap it all off.
After the Raiders minimized the Los Angeles lead to three, the Chargers were forced into a three-and-out with 5:46 remaining.
The Raiders offense were able to capitalize on the momentum but couldn’t quite get into the end zone on back-to-back drives. They settled for a field goal which tied things up at 10-10 with a little over two minutes remaining before the break.
Herbert and the offense went to work on their final drive of the half, pushing all the way into Raiders territory before they had to settle for a field goal to go back up 13-10.
The Raiders almost managed to put up a field goal before the half thanks to a huge catch-and-run by Adams, but Carlson pushed the ball far right and the Bolts headed into the break up by three.
Third Quarter
The second half began on about as bad of a note as it could have for the Chargers.
Just a few plays into their drive, safety Duron Harmon punched the ball out of Austin Ekeler’s hands on a screen pass. On the very next play, Carr threw up a ball to Adams in the end zone and the former All-Pro was able to come down with it despite Samuel being close in coverage.
Just like that, the Raiders were back on top 17-13.
On the ensuing drive, the Chargers moved the ball down to the Raiders 34-yard line thanks to some clutch catches by Gerald Everett and Joshua Palmer. They were ultimately stopped short on third down and Dicker wound up missing from 52 yards out, his first miss of his professional career.
It took just two plays for the Raiders to get back in the end zone with a 13-yard scamper by Jacobs and a 45-yard flea flicker to Adams who got behind Bryce Callahan to put the Raiders up 24-13 halfway through the quarter.
When the third quarter came to an end, the Chargers defense was getting ran through in chunks by Jacobs and the Raiders offense. Entering the fourth, the Raiders were riding a 12-play drive that took 8:29 off the clock.
Fourth Quarter
After gaining back some energy following the break, the Chargers defense found a way to get a stop on third down but the Raiders were still able to chip in a field goal to push their lead to 14.
Just when this game seemed out of hand, Justin Herbert pulled a rabbit out of a hat on fourth-and-12 by hitting Allen for a 35-yard touchdown while scrambling for his life. That miraculous score put the Chargers back to within a touchdown with over eight minutes of play left in regulation.
For the first time in the second half, the Chargers defense was able to force the Raiders offense to punt the ball back after a seven-play drive. With 5:12 remaining, the Bolts went to work.
Unlike last year’s game against the Raiders, the fourth-down magic just wasn’t there. The Bolts were stopped on fourth and turned it over on downs with a little under three minutes to go. After Las Vegas gained a first down, the only time stoppage remaining was the two minute warning.
Herbert got one last chance to tie the game but with 22 seconds on the clock, only a miracle was going to help the Chargers from losing this game. Time ticked away and the Bolts fell 27-20 on the road.
Justin Herbert finished with 294 yards on 26-of-44 passing with a lone touchdown.
Austin Ekeler gained 35 yards on the ground and 53 through the air on 15 combined touches.
Gerald Everett led the team with 80 yards receiving on five catches. Keenan Allen caught five passes for 75 yards and a touchdown while Joshua Palmer had a team-high seven receptions.
Three Chargers ended with a team-high six tackles. Bryce Callahan was one of them and he was also the author of the team’s pick-six. The Chargers defense recorded zero sacks or tackles for loss.
The Chargers are at home in week 14 to host the 8-4 Dolphins.
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