Surging Las Vegas Raiders Dump the Los Angeles Chargers
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Perhaps the Las Vegas Raiders' slim playoff hopes aren’t dead.
Quarterback Derek Carr threw two touchdown passes to wide receiver Davante Adams to put the Silver and Black ahead to stay in the third quarter, and they held on for a 27-20 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
The Raiders (5-7) ran their only winning streak of the season to three games by avenging a 24-19 loss to the Chargers (6-6) in the season opener after Los Vegas beat Los Angeles, 35-32, in overtime in the final game last season to make the playoffs with a 10-7 record.
It might seem to be improbable, but if the Raiders, who stretched their lead in the all-time series to 68-57-2, can win their last five games it would give them exactly the same record this season and at least an outside chance to make the postseason.
The Chargers took an early lead in this one when Carr’s tipped pass was intercepted by linebacker Bryce Callahan and returned 26 yards for a touchdown with 5:07 left in the first quarter, and Cameron Dicker kicked a 37-yard field goal to give the Chargers a 10-0 lead with 11:37 left in the second quarter.
Running back Josh Jacobs didn’t have another monumental game like last week when he had more than 300 total yards against the Seattle Seahawks, but he did rush for 144 yards on 26 carries and got the Raiders on the scoreboard with a 20-yard touchdown run to make it 10-7 with 7:52 left in the first half.
Daniel Carlson, who later missed his first field goal attempt in his last 48 attempts at home, kicked a 55-yarder to get the Raiders even at 10-10 with 2:17 left in the half, but quarterback Justin Herbert led the Chargers down the field for Dicker’s 34-yard with 27 seconds remaining, and it was 13-10 at halftime.
However, the Raiders turned the game in their favor by scoring 17 unanswered points, with Carr hitting Adams with a 31-yard touchdown pass to Adams with 14:28 left in the third quarter—one play after cornerback Nate Hobbs recovered a fumble by Austin Ekeler.
Then Carr needed only two plays, the first a 13-yard run by Jacobs, to take the Raiders 58 yards by hitting Adams with a 45-yard touchdown pass on a lateral from Jacobs on a flea-flicker from Jacobs for a 24-13 lead with 10:53 left in the third after Dicker missed a 52-yard field goal attempt.
Carlson made it 27-13 with 14:49 left in the game after a Raiders drive came up short, and after that, it came down to holding off Herbert, who threw three touchdown passes when the Chargers beat the Silver and Black in the opener.
And Herbert and the Chargers did make it close in the end.
The Raiders seemed to have the Chargers stopped, but Herbert hit wide receiver Keenan Allen on a brilliant throw-and-catch for a 37-yard touchdown on fourth-and-12 with 8:34 left in the game to make it 27-20.
However, the Raiders were able to hold on with Jacobs running much of the clock down in the final minutes, and the Silver and Black forced Herbert to throw an incomplete pass on fourth down at the Las Vegas 42-yard-line with 2:42 left on the clock.’
Herbert completed 28-of-47 yards for 335 yards, but the Raiders were able to keep him out of the end zone other than that one incredible throw while sacking him five times, including three by defensive end Chandler Jones—who had by far his best game in Silver and Black, adding six tackles including two for losses, five quarterback hits and a pass defensed.
The Raiders also held Ekeler 35 yards rushing as Hobbs came off the injured reserve list to lead the way with eight tackles, while linebacker Denzel Perryman added seven, and Jones, safety Duron Harmon, and linebacker Jayon Brown all had six.
Carr completed 16-of-30 passes for 250 yards and the two touchdowns plus the interception, while Adams had another great game with eight catches for 177 yards and the two touchdowns, which turned the game in the Raiders’ favor for good.
The Raiders will have a quick turnaround this week, playing the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday Night Football at Sofi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif. After that, they will return home to face the New England Patriots for a Sunday evening game on Dec. 18. Their only game remaining with an AFC rival is the regular season finale against the division-leading Kansas City Chiefs on Jan. 8 at Allegiant Stadium.
The Raiders will need all of those and more to have any chance of making the playoffs.
Thursday night's game in Los Angeles kicks off at 8:15 p.m. EST/5:15 p.m. PST and can be seen on Amazon Prime.
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