Silver Minings: AFC West roundup, Herbert exits game early as Chargers suffer 1st loss

Despite the Chargers loss, the Raiders are still falling in the division standings

Week 3 wasn’t kind to the Las Vegas Raiders as the team not only suffered an embarrassing loss in Week 3, but the Raiders also slid in the AFC West standings after the Kansas City Chiefs and Denver Broncos won. The only saving grace was the Los Angeles Chargers loss, but that doesn’t do much for Las Vegas’ postseason hopes.

Los Angeles Chargers 10 Pittsburgh Steelers 20

• QB Justin Herbert: 12/18, 125 yards, 1 TD
• RB J.K. Dobbins: 15 carries, 44 yards
• WR Quentin Johnston: 2 catches, 44 yards, 1 TD
• LB Daiyan Henley: 12 total tackles, 1 TFL, 1 PD
• S Derwin James Jr.: 8 total tackles, 2 TFL, 1 sack

The Chargers offense couldn’t get much going against the Steelers as the team gave up five sacks. But the bigger story here is Herbert entered the game questionable with an ankle injury and ended up re-aggravating the injury. The team doesn’t seem too concerned with the quarterback’s future though as he said he’s hopeful to play next week against the Chiefs, per ESPN.

Denver Broncos 26 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 7

• QB Bo Nix: 25/36, 216 yards, 0 TDs, 9 rushes, 47 yards, 1 rushing TD
• RB Tyler Badie: 9 carries, 70 yards
• WR Courtland Sutton: 7 catches, 68 yards
• DL Zach Allen: 3 total tackles, 1 sack, 1 TFL, 2 QB hits
• LB Dondrea Tillman: 3 total tackles, 2 sacks, 2 TFL, 3 QB hits

Denver’s defense sacked Baker Mayfield seven times which went a long way toward pulling off the big upset to get its first win of the season. Nix also had a solid outing, showcasing his ability to make plays with his legs. The win pulls the Broncos even with the Raiders as the two teams are set to square off in two weeks.

Kansas City Chiefs 22 Atlanta Falcons 17

• QB Patrick Mahomes: 26/39, 217 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT
• RB Carson Steele: 17 carries, 72 yards
• WR Rashee Rice: 12 catches, 110 yards, 1 TD
• LB Nick Bolton: 8 total tackles, 3 TFL
• DB Chamarri Corner: 10 total tackles, 2 PD

The Falcons offense got off to a hot start but the Chiefs’ defense buckled down as Bolton came up with a few big plays down the stretch to keep Atlanta to just three points in the second half. Meanwhile, Kansas City’s offense was far from perfect but the team seems to have found another running back as Steele filled in for Isiah Pacheco and had a strong outing.

In Other Raiders’ Links:

• What they’re saying: Antonio Pierce calls out the Raiders’ effort down the stretch after a blowout loss to the Panthers.
• Las Vegas opens as a home dog: FanDuel Sportsbook has the Silver and Black as a slight underdog next Sunday against the Cleveland Browns.
• Offense regresses in home opener: “The Raiders felt their offense turned a corner in their comeback win over the Baltimore Ravens last week, but the unit’s embarrassing performance in the loss to the Panthers proves that’s not the case,” The Athletic’s Tashan Reed wrote. “…The Panthers defense had allowed an average of 36.5 points per game through two weeks, but the Raiders had mustered just seven points by the start of the fourth quarter.”
• Russell Wilson trade coming?: “It has been several years since he has shown anything that would make a team want to trade for him. But if someone became desperate, a move could be in play,” ESPN’s Dan Graziano wrote. “The Raiders or any contender that suffers an unforeseen injury to its starter in October probably would poke around on Wilson, too.”