Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams (17) jumps for joy with quarterback Derek Carr (4) at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas against the Los Angeles Chargers (AP News photo)
Raiders Win Third In a Row Beating Los Angeles Chargers 27-20
By Barbara Mason
Sunday afternoon the Las Vegas Raiders (5-7) took on the Los Angeles Chargers (6-6). The Chargers are close to being in playoff conversation and this game is of major importance to Los Angeles. This week they won a thriller at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas edging the Chargers 27-20. The Raiders have been playing great beating the Seahawks last week 40-34 in a most dramatic fashion.
They beat the Broncos the week before that 22-16. The question of the hour is why it took so long for them to get going this season and what could have been had they started the season playing the way they are playing right now.
The Raiders would be challenged in this game by Los Angeles quarterback Justin Herbert who is having a nice season. The Raider defense would have to step up to contain not only this guy but also wide receiver Keenan Allen.
Las Vegas had a horrible start in the first quarter, in fact it was the thing nightmares are made of. The Raiders not only fumbled away the ball but at 5:07 Derek Carr threw a pick six, intercepted by the Chargers Bryce Callahan giving Los Angeles a 7-0 lead.
Los Angeles extended their lead in the second quarter when Cameron Dicker kicked a 37 yard field goal and the Chargers had a 10-0 lead. The Raiders Josh Jacobs, (hero of last week’s overtime win) rushed for 20 yards and a touchdown.
A Daniel Carlson 55 yard field goal tied up this game at ten with two minutes left in the half. The Chargers were able to take back the lead with 27 ticks left on the clock. Dicker kicked a 34 yard field goal for a Los Angeles advantage 13-10 at the half.
The third quarter was an all-Raider affair, in fact, it was the Carr to Adams show. At 14:28 Derek Carr connected with Devante Adams for 31 yards and a touchdown. This dangerous duo struck again at 10:53 when Carr found Adams open hitting him for 45 yards, the touchdown and a 24-13 lead.
The Raiders would open the fourth quarter with a Daniel Carlson field goal, this one for 25 yards and Las Vegas had the upper hand leading 27-13. The Chargers did score in the final quarter, a Herbert to Keenan Allen strike for 35 yards and the touchdown but that would be it for Los Angeles. The final was 27-20. The Raiders had won three games in a row.
Carr finished with 250 passing yards and two touchdowns with the one interception. Josh Jacobs had not cooled down one bit rushing for 144 yards and Devante Adams received for 177 yards. Aside from the rocky start in the first quarter the missteps did not deter Carr at all and he finished with an outstanding game.
The Las Vegas defense had an equally great game sacking Los Angeles quarterback Justin Herbert five times. The Raider defense pressured Herbert all afternoon. It was an aggressive effort for this defensive unit. Las Vegas really put the stops on wide receiver Allen as well. This loss really hurt the Chargers playoff hopes.
Next week the Raiders will take on the struggling Los Angeles Rams who lost today to the Seahawks. The Rams now have a shocking 3-9 record. This will be a Thursday night game with kickoff scheduled 5:15 PM on Prime Video.