Here are some live updates from the Las Vegas Raiders home game against the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday:
First quarter
What a bad start for new Raiders’ quarterback Geno Smith. On his first play as a Raider at home, Smith threw a bad interception and the Chargers got the ball inside the Raiders’ 30-yard line.
The Las Vegas defense did hold, forcing a three and out and a field-goal attempt. The Chargers converted a 38-yarder to make it 3-0.
The Raiders came back and tied the game on a 54-yard field goal by Daniel Carlson. The drive featured a 13-yard run by rookie running back Ashton Jeanty — the best run of his young career to this point — and a 20-yard pass play from Smith to rookie Dont’e Thornton on third and five. Former Raider Khalil Mack did sack Smith on the drive.
Raiders’ cornerbacks Eric Stokes both had early pass breakups. It continued their good start to the season from last week. The Chargers had to punt on their second drive. Good start for the Raiders’ defense.
The Chargers’ defensive front was getting the better of the Raiders’ offensive line early on and it hurt the run game. The Raiders to punt on drive after the Carlson field goal. Jeanty has been stopped for negative yardage on seven of his first 21 NFL carries.
The Chargers went down the field 72 yards in a 5-minute drive as Justin Herbert hit Keenan Allen for a 10-yard touchdown pass to take a 10-3 lead with 20 seconds to go in the first quarter.
Second quarter:
After a solid drive, the Raiders settled for another Carlson field goal to make it 10-6 with less than 10 minutes to go in the half.
Late in the second quarter, Herbert found a wide open Quentin Johnston for a 60-yard touchdown to give the Chargers a 17-6 lead with 1:51 to go in the half.
Smith threw an ill-advised interception at the goal line. He’s having a a rough game.
It’s Chargers 17, Raiders 6 at the half.
Chargers get the ball to start the second half.
Third quarter:
The Chargers went on a long drive and settled for a short field goal to make it a 20-6 game with &;30 to go in the quarter. The Chargers picked on Stokes and converted a fourth and two from the Raiders’ 30. Las Vegas did well to force a field goal at the goal line to avoid making it a three possession game.
Fourth quarter:
The Raiders went on a , but had to settle for a field goal to make it a 20-9 game. A Dylan Parham holding penalty on a Smith first down conversion on a scramble killed the drive. The Raiders really needed a touchdown there. a 19-play, 62 yard drive and getting a field goal while losing by double digits this late in the game is not ideal.
The Chargers made their first big mistake of the game went they went form it on fourth down in their own territory and it blew up in their face. This is an opportunity for the Raiders with just more than eight minutes remaining.
Yikes. A third bad interception thrown by Geno Smith. Time is ticking.
The Raiders’ defense has played better the past two drives and they just forced a three-and-out. There is some hope.
Maxx Crosby forced a fumble giving the Raiders’ more late hope.
But nope.
Final score:
Chargers 20, Raiders 9.
Now that the game is over, let’s take a look at the key aspects:
Team records: The Las Vegas Raiders are 1-1. The Los Angeles Chargers are 2-0.
What the win/loss means for the Raiders:
The Raiders lost their first home game of the season, falling on new coach Pete Carroll’s 74th birthday. The Raiders are 0-1 in the AFC West after going win less in the division last season. This was a great opportunity with both the Kansas City Chiefs and the Denver Broncos losing Sunday. The Chargers are alone in first place, while the Raiders and Broncos are tied at 1-1 and the Chiefs sit at 0-2.
Turning point of the game:
The Chargers pulled away at 17-6 at the half and then scored three points on a long drive to open the third quarter. That was about it.
Injury report:
The Raiders didn’t report any injuries.
What’s next for the Raiders:
The Raiders play at the Washington Commanders on Sunday. Kickoff is at 10 a.m. PT. They Commanders may be without star quarterback Jayden Daniels, who is dealing with a knee injury.
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