AP Photo
Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Joshua Palmer (5) is tackled by Las Vegas Raiders linebacker Robert Spillane (41) during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Oct. 1, 2023, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Published Sunday, Oct. 1, 2023 | 2 a.m.
Updated Sunday, Oct. 1, 2023 | 5:47 p.m.
WEEK 4
• Who: Raiders (1-2) at Chargers (1-2)
• When: 1:05 p.m.
• Where: SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif.
• TV: KLAS-TV, CBS Channel 8
• Radio: Raider Nation Radio 920 AM, KOMP 92.3 FM
• Betting line: Chargers -5.5, over/under: 48.5
Aidan O’Connell had the Raiders in position to force overtime in his first career start before making his worst throw of the day.
The rookie fourth-round draft pick out of Purdue tried to force a pass on first-and-goal from the 3-yard line at SoFi Stadium, resulting in an interception by Chargers cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. An ensuing first down by the home team clinched a 24-17 victory for the Chargers.
For the second straight week, the Raiders saw a late comeback attempt fall short. Las Vegas drops to 1-3 on the year with a home game against the Green Bay Packers on Monday Night Football scheduled for Week 5.
A parade of second-quarter errors — including two lost fumbles by O’Connell — saw the Raiders fall into a 24-7 first-half deficit against the Chargers. It looked like a blowout would ensue, but the defense — behind a two-sack effort from edge rusher Maxx Crosby — beared down from there and O’Connell did enough to keep the Raiders afloat on offense.
With starter Jimmy Garoppolo still in the concussion protocol after last week’s 23-18 loss to the Steelers, O’Connell completed 24 of 39 passes for 238 yards. O’Connell also had a rushing touchdown early in the game to tie the score at 7-7.
Running back Josh Jacobs was his favorite target, as last year’s NFL rushing leader had eight catches for 81 yards in addition to 17 carries for 58 yards. O’Connell developed a rhythm with lead receiver Davante Adams late and the star wound up with eight catches for 75 yards.
The Raiders’ final scoring drive was Adams-heavy before Jacobs scored on a one-yard run for his first touchdown of the season.
Crosby then stuffed a fourth-and-inches sneak attempt by Los Angeles quarterback Justin Herbert with 3:30 to go at the 34-yard line.
Everything was set up for O’Connell to have a fairy-tale ending, especially when he hit Adams with a 19-yard pass on 4th-and-10 from the 22-yard line. But the Samuel interception was the next play, spurring an audible gasp from the largely Raider-partisan crowd at SoFi.
The Chargers’ defense came up big in key spots all day, as former Raider Khalil Mack had six sacks for a total loss of 45 yards to keep O’Connell from getting comfortable.
Read below for live updates from throughout the game and come back later for more coverage.
The Raiders have scored all 10 points in the second half and now have a chance to pull an improbable comeback against the Chargers at SoFi Stadium.
Josh Jacobs just finished a 55-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown to make the score 24-17 Chargers with 3:59 left to play. Rookie quarterback Aidan O’Connell has calmed down and found a rapport with Davante Adams, who has seven catches for 56 yards including four receptions on the latest possession.
O’Connell has completed 22 of 33 pass attempts for 207 yards. Just as importantly, the defense led by a two-sack day from edge rusher Maxx Crosby hasn’t let the Chargers establish any rhythm in the second half.
The unit needs one more stop here to give the Raiders a real chance at a victory.
Rout might be on in Los Angeles
It could get ugly in the second half at SoFi Stadium, if it hasn’t already gotten ugly enough.
The Chargers lead the Raiders 24-7 through the first 30 minutes behind three total touchdowns (two rushing, one passing) by quarterback Justin Herbert. Los Angeles capitalized on a pair of lost fumbles by Las Vegas rookie quarterback Aidan O’Connell for its latest points with touchdowns by Keenan Allen and Herbert.
Los Angeles leads Las Vegas 220-87 in total yards. Herbert has 118 total yards with Allen his favorite target at three catches for 32 yards.
Raiders unraveling with mistakes
The Chargers lead the Raiders 17-7 after a series of mistakes paved the way to a 7-yard touchdown catch to Keenan Allen from Justin Herbert.
Los Angeles got into the red zone after an unsportsmanlike conduct late hit call on defensive tackle Jerry Tillery, who was ejected after leveling Herbert to the ground. The Chargers were already on the Raiders’ side of the field after Aidan O’Connell fumbled after a pump fake and saw the loose ball recovered by edge rusher Chris Rumph.
The game is midway through the second quarter, and it looks like the Raiders could be in big trouble if they don’t calm down on their next drive.
Raiders hold Chargers to field goal
The Raiders’ defense gave up a lot of yards during their third time on the field this afternoon but didn’t give up any points.
A sack by Maxx Crosby followed by a pass break-up in the end zone by Tre’von Moehrig forced the Chargers to settle for a 33-yard field goal by Cameron Dicker to go up 10-7 with 10:42 remaining in the second quarter. Los Angeles quarterback Justin Herbert had guided his team to the 7-yard line before Crosby’s sack knocked them back eight yards.
O’Connell gets in the end zone
So far it’s not so bad for rookie quarterback Aidan O’Connell, who just tied the game at 7-7 with a one-yard touchdown run on a sneak late in the first quarter.
O’Connell has also completed all three of his passing attempts, for a total of 38 yards at SoFi Stadium. The longest completion came on a play-action passs to Jakobi Meyers down the middle of the field.
Josh Jacobs has six carries for 24 yards for the Raiders, but saw a touchdown wiped out when it was ruled his knee was down inside the 1-yard line.
Chargers score touchdown on opening drive
The Raiders have fallen into an early hole at SoFi Stadium after allowing the Chargers to drive 81 yards in less than 4:30 to score a game-opening touchdown.
It’s 7-0 Los Angeles after quarterback Justin Herbert ran in a 12-yard touchdown on a third-down play. The Chargers spread the Raiders out with five receivers and created an opening in the middle of the field that Herbert utilized en route to going untouched into the end zone.
Rookie receiver Derius Davis had the big play for the Chargers, lining up in the backfield and taking a carry 51 yards. A 7-0 deficit is not an ideal place for rookie quarterback Aidan O’Connell to start in his first career NFL action, but that’s the situation he faces.
Inactives announced
The Raiders and Chargers combined to put together a star-studded inactives list ahead of today’s AFC West showdown at SoFi Stadium.
Nothing was unexpected but quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and cornerback Nate Hobbs, a key piece on each side of the ball, both won’t for play for the Raiders. For the Chargers, running back Austin Ekeler, safety Derwin James and edge rusher Joey Bosa are all out.
Las Vegas will also see the debut of a pair of rookies — safety Christopher Smith and defensive tackle Nesta Jade-Silvera. Both are active for the first time, taking the spots of inactives Byron Young and Isaiah Pola-Moa, respectively.
The Raiders’ other three inactives are linebacker Amari Burney, linebacker Malik Reed and wide receiver Kristain Wilkerson.
Reports are surfacing that Aidan O’Connell, not Brian Hoyer, will start at quarterback in place of Garoppolo but nothing has been confirmed.
GAMEDAY PREVIEW
Raiders’ fans like to refer to SoFi Stadium as a home away from home, given the extreme levels of support the team enjoys at the three-year-old, $5 billion venue. People in silver and black usually outnumber those in blue and gold — whether it belongs to the Chargers or Rams — when the Raiders travel to Inglewood, Calif.
It just hasn’t translated into success.
Las Vegas is just 1-3 at SoFi and hasn’t won a game there since its initial trip to face the Chargers on Nov. 8, 2020. The Raiders desperately need that to change here, as the franchise could use some positive momentum after losing two straight games. Las Vegas’ 17-16 Week 1 win at Denver feels like forever ago and looks a little less impressive in hindsight, given how badly the Broncos struggled since.
Everything isn’t copacetic around the Chargers either. They snapped an 0-2 start to by holding on to beat the Minnesota Vikings 28-24 last week, but their fans remain as frustrated with some of coach Brandon Staley’s decisions as Raider fans are with their own coach, Josh McDaniels.
Favorable matchup: Raiders’ star receiver vs. Chargers’ defensive backfield
Davante Adams called out the Raiders for a failure to “establish a winning culture” after losing 23-18 to Pittsburgh last week, and it was hard to blame him considering all he had done. He racked up 13 receptions for 172 yards and two touchdowns in the game, production that he may again be able to approach against the Chargers. Los Angeles has played against the two receivers most commonly mentioned alongside Adams as the best in the league, Tyreek Hill and Justin Jefferson, and gave up 215 and 147 yards, respectively. The Chargers have some big-name players in their secondary, but they’re not living up to their reputation. Either Brian Hoyer or Aidan O'Connell, one of whom will start in place of Jimmy Garoppolo in the NFL’s concussion protocol, should target Adams liberally.
THEY SAID IT
“We did a lot of different things, but every week is going to be different. We did a good job of getting to the quarterback. It wasn’t great, but we got a lot more pressure and got some good hits on him. It’s something to build off of but we’ve got a whole new challenge this week.” -Edge rusher Maxx Crosby on the Raiders employing more blitzes and gradually improving their pass rush
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“(The fans are) dope, but either way, I’m preparing for a silent count. We didn’t do a good enough job last week to prepare for silent count because I heard that Steelers’ fans travel really well, but I’m expecting to go silent count (this week). If it gets to a point in the game where we can use cadence, we’ll use cadence.” -Right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor confirming reports that the Raiders had to go to a silent snap count on offense last week because of so much noise from visiting fans and hoping that can change this week
•••
“I think it’s really cowardly and a small thing to do to take shots at coaches when (the players) have the most to do with what happens ultimately out there on the field.” -Wide receiver Davante Adams clarifying that his frustrated postgame comments about impatience after the loss to the Steelers were not meant to be a criticism of McDaniels
•••
“Davante does a really good job of addressing things that he feels need to be addressed, and it’s not always negative. I think there’s a lot of people that attach leadership to adversity, and that’s definitely one part of it but there’s also an element where you’ve got to emphasize both sides, when it’s going good and positive too.” -McDaniels on why he hopes Adams continues to feel embolden enough to speak out
Problematic matchup: Raiders’ newfound blitzing frequency vs. Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert
In their seemingly never-ending quest to find a way to apply more pressure on opposing quarterbacks, the Raiders have turned to blitzing more often in the past two weeks. Both Robert Spillane and Divine Deablo, the Raiders’ top two linebackers, had a sack in a 38-10 Week 2 loss to the Buffalo Bills. Las Vegas even sent defensive backs such as cornerback Nate Hobbs and free safety Tre’von Moehrig on blitzes against the Pittsburgh Steelers last week. They might need to cut back against Herbert, who’s been spectacular against blitzes since entering the NFL four years ago. The Vikings sent extra rushers at a league-high rate against him, and Herbert responded by posting a league-high 405 passing yards. The Chargers did lose star receiver Mike Williams for the rest of the season to a knee injury in the game, but they’re confident veteran Joshua Palmer and rookie Quentin Johnston can emerge to fill the void. Like Staley, Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham is known for switching up his scheme on a weekly basis. This might be an instance where he needs to make major changes.
Gamebreaker: Running back Josh Jacobs
If the NFL’s rushing leader from a season ago doesn’t break out of a slow start this week, it’s fair to wonder if it’s ever going to happen. The Chargers have fielded the worst rush defense in the league since Staley arrived three seasons ago. Vikings running back Alexander Mattison was mired in a slump every bit as bad as Jacobs’ and still gashed the Chargers for 93 yards on 20 carries. Jacobs is a far better runner than Mattison and showed some signs of life against the Steelers. He had his two longest runs of the year in the second half, 10 yards and nine yards, to finish with 17 carries for 62 yards. But that’s only an average of 3.6 yards per carry, a mark that’s not going to cut it if the Raiders want to stay competitive in the AFC West. Jacobs isn’t all to blame for his light production — he offensive line appears to have regressed as a rush-blocking unit right as opposing defenses start to load the box to stop the running back — but his numbers must rise going forward.
Big Number: .350
That’s McDaniels’ winning percentage with the Raiders through 20 games, as he fell to 7-13 following the loss to the Steelers. It’s an extremely low mark given the amount of talent featured on the Raiders’ roster dating back to last year, and the most glaring number to explain why some fans already feel like they’ve seen enough. McDaniels reportedly signed a four-year, $40 million contract with the Raiders ahead of last season, and owner Mark Davis has given every indication that he plans to be patient with the coach. But patience can have its limits, and if McDaniels continues on his current trajectory and the Raiders finish a second straight season 6-11, there will be real questions about whether he’ll return for a third year. If that feels unfair, consider how Staley must be feeling about coming under fire despite a .541 winning percentage with the Chargers. McDaniels went 12-20 (.375) in his first head-coaching job with the Broncos from 2009-2010 but promised he learned from the failure. So far, it hasn’t translated to more wins.
Best Bet (2-1): Joshua Palmer over 43.5 receiving yards
I’ve cashed two weeks in a row backing an opposing player who’s set up to give the Raiders trouble, so let’s not tinker too much with the formula. Los Angeles is hyping up Johnston as someone who can replace Williams’ big-play ability, but that’s easier said than done. The Chargers’ plan was to bring along the first-round pick out of TCU slowly this season, and they still have that luxury with a third-year player like Palmer at their disposal. Las Vegas is 31st in the league against opposing No. 2 receivers, per Aaron Schatz’s DVOA metric, having notably given up a 72-yard touchdown to Pittsburgh’s Calvin Austin III last week and 92 yards on six catches to Buffalo’s Gabe Davis in Week 2. Palmer may not crush the Raiders that much, but he should be expected to at least log around 50 yards.
Case Keefer can be reached at 702-948-2790 or [email protected]. Follow Case on Twitter at twitter.com/casekeefer.Case Keefer can be reached at 702-948-2790 or
