In Week 3, the Los Angeles Chargers made a statement across the NFL when they took down the Kansas City Chiefs, who were coming off a loss, winning 30-24. This week, for many teams, would be a trap game, no matter who the opponent was. Instead, the Chargers won their second straight division game, beating the Las Vegas Raiders 28-14. The Chargers made another statement in this game, so let us dive into how they got it done.

Game Details

In a winning effort, QB Justin Herbert played clean football, going 25/38 with 222 yards and 3 touchdowns in the victory. Those three touchdowns went to TE Jared Cook, HB Austin Ekeler, and TE Donald Parham, showing the versatility and depth the Chargers have. Cook led the way with 70 yards as well, while WR Keenan Allen had a team-high seven catches, totaling 36 yards. For the first time this season, WR Mike Williams had an off day, catching one ball for 11 yards on four targets. Williams and Herbert missed a connection on what would have been a long touchdown, but the Chargers prevailed. HB Austin Ekeler also had himself his best game of the season, totaling 135 yards and two touchdowns, including 7.8 YPC. Defensively, the stars showed out for the Chargers, with DE Joey Bosa forcing a fumble and S Derwin James grabbing an interception in the victory. Bosa also had a sack on the day.

In their first loss of the season, the Raiders came back to earth a little in the loss. QB Derek Carr had his worst game of the season, going 21/34 with 196 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. Despite this, Carr is still off to a really good start, leading the league in passing yards (1,399), while also throwing eight touchdowns to three interceptions. Henry Ruggs led the team in receiving yards with 60, including a 51-yard catch in the loss. TE Darren Waller and WR Hunter Renfrow scored one touchdown each as well. HB Josh Jacobs struggled in the loss as he continues to fight through injury. His final line was 13/40/0 but also had five catches. While it was a rough first half, the Raiders defense played well in the second half, giving up just seven points in the final two quarters, forcing three punts on four drives by the Chargers. DT Darius Philon had two sacks, while LB Denzel Perryman led the team in tackles with 12.

The Running Game

So far in 2021, the Chargers have been known as a pass-first team, and while it will probably stay that way, Los Angeles offered more of a balanced attack in Week 4 on Monday Night Football. HB Austin Ekeler carried the rock 15 times for 117 yards and a touchdown in the victory. Larry Rountree III also added 11 carries, giving Ekeler a breather when needed and giving the Chargers a change of pace for the offense. For Ekeler, it is his best performance of the season, after totaling 166 rushing yards through the first three games. On the season, he now has 424 total yards with four total touchdowns, showing his dual-threat ability that is so crucial for the Chargers.

Strong First Half for the Bolts

Any good team knows it is so important to play a complete game in the NFL and that includes getting off to a hot start. For the Chargers, they came out of the gates firing, and ultimately it made the difference in their win. In the first half, the Chargers possessed the ball for 19:11 game time, seven possessions, and three touchdowns. In that same half, the Chargers forced a punt or turnover on downs on all six possessions in the first half. Herbert threw all three of his touchdowns in the first half as well, as they managed the second half and made just enough plays to earn the victory. 

Defense Wins Championships 

Along with the run game in this affair, the Chargers are extremely strong on the defensive side of the ball and do not get enough credit. Led by Joey Bosa and Derwin James, as well as a defensive-minded head coach in Brandon Staley, the Chargers are among the top ten in Yards Per Game (332) and Points Per Game (18.5) on the season. In this game, they held the Raiders to a season-low in total yards (213) and total points (14). An impressive victory to say the least, and one to definitely build off of.

Looking Ahead

In Week 5, the Las Vegas Raiders will look to bounce back at home against the Chicago Bears (2-2), who are coming off a victory over the Detroit Lions. The victory was QB Justin Fields first career win as well. For the Chargers, they will look to continue their winning streak at home against the Cleveland Browns (3-1), who have won three straight games since losing Week 1 to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Stats from profootballreference.com

Schedule from nfl.com

-By: Richie Dordas

In the last Thursday Night Football game of the year, the Los Angeles Chargers went to battle against the Las Vegas Raiders, their division rival in a must-win game for the Raiders. Despite this, the Chargers came out on top in an overtime thriller by a score of 30-27. Let us analyze the key components to victory for the Chargers and what went wrong for Las Vegas.

Herbert Leads the Way

Since he took over in week two, rookie QB Justin Herbert has emerged as a rookie of the year favorite has taken the league by storm. He has gotten better every week and is proving his worth in the NFL. Against the Raiders, Herbert paced the offense with 314 passing yards and two touchdowns, along with the game-winning rushing touchdown on a quarterback sneak in overtime. His second passing touchdown, which was a 26-yard dime to WR Tyron Johnson, tied Browns QB Baker Mayfield for the most passing touchdowns in a rookie season. Mayfield threw 27 in 2018. With two games to go, Herbert is poised to shatter this record with the opportunity to get to 30.

Even with receivers Keenan Allen and Mike Williams on a snap count due to injury, the Chargers were able to move the ball in the air, led by WR Jalen Guyton, TE Hunter Henry, and WR Tyron Johnson. Guyton had four catches for 91 yards, while Henry and Johnson found the endzone and combined for 126 yards. As for the ground game, RB Austin Ekeler totaled 60 yards on 13 carries, while RB Kalen Ballage added a touchdown in the victory.

Defense Bends, But Does Not Break

All season long, the Chargers defense has been inconsistent and plagued with injuries. In this game, the defense did just enough to secure the victory. LB Nick Vigil recorded the only sack and tied for the lead in tackles on the day, along with rookie LB Kenneth Murray. They each recorded seven. Los Angeles forced one turnover against backup QB Marcus Mariota, an interception by Chris Harris Jr. on a throw behind WR Zay Jones. While they bent for 449 yards, they did not break, highlighted by a key goal-line stop in overtime that forced the Raiders to a field goal. 

Time Running Out for Vegas

Through nine games, the Raiders were 6-3 with statement wins over the Chiefs, Saints, and Browns while coming off a dominant win over the Denver Broncos. Since then, Las Vegas has lost four out of five and the one win came against the winless Jets on a miracle play. They are now 7-7 and need a lot of help to make the playoffs. The Browns, Colts, and Titans already have nine wins, while the Dolphins and Raiders have eight. With only two games left, it is not looking likely to make the playoffs after such a promising start. QB Derek Carr is injured, the defense cannot stop anyone, and they are just in their own way too many times and it may have cost them a spot in the postseason in 2020.

Looking Ahead

Heading into Week 16, the Los Angeles Chargers will look to make it three in a row and continue to finish their season strong against the Denver Broncos (5-8) at home in a divisional matchup. As for the Raiders, they will play on Saturday night against the Miami Dolphins (8-5) in another must-win situation. If the Raiders lose, they will officially be eliminated from playoff contention.

Info from profootballreference.com

Writer

-By: Richie Dordas

      New Orleans, LA- On a night where it was a matchup of an up-and-coming youngster taking on the distinguished and legendary elder at the quarterback position, Monday Night Football between the Los Angeles Chargers and the New Orleans Saints proved to live up to the billing. Both Chargers rookie gunslinger Justin Herbert and one of the game’s true GOATs in Saints signal-caller Drew Brees put on a quarterback duel like no other, with the elder Brees handing Herbert his fourth loss of the season, as the Saints beat the Chargers in a 30-27 overtime thriller. 

Drew Brees can still throw it deep (apparently)

            In both the Saints primetime losses to the Raiders in week 2 on Monday Night Football and the Packers in week 3 on Sunday Night Football, I wrote that Saints quarterback, the 41-year-old Drew Brees, had a washed-up arm that couldn’t throw the ball more than 15 yards down the field. And the case could be made that I was right, as Brees barely ever attempted to throw the ball deep. Even during the first half of the Monday night game against the Chargers, Brees looked like he was scared to air it out. Prior to the last drive in the first half, Brees only had 45 passing yards and an interception recorded. However, just when the second half kicked off, I’m glad to say I was proven wrong, as Brees showed that he still had some magic in that throwing arm; with the proof coming in the form of a 41-yard rainbow touchdown pass to tight end Jared Cook (2-51-1) in the third quarter (41 air yards, that is). Brees had a 2020 breakout night, completing 33/47 passes (70% completion percentage) for 325 yards, one passing touchdown, one rushing touchdown, and an interception. He finally developed the chemistry with wideout Emmanuel Sanders (12-122-0) that he’s needed, especially since superstar receiver Michael Thomas was a healthy scratch for New Orleans (allegedly got in a fight with a teammate at practice).  

The running game was stifled for the Saints, as Alvin Kamara (19 touches, 119 yards from scrimmage) and Latavius Murray (8-34) combined for 79 rushing yards on 19 carries. But Kamara’s ability to be just as big of a threat in the passing game came in clutch in the fourth quarter, he made a circus-like catch over the head of Chargers DB Rayshawn Jenkins, coming down with the juggled ball for a 28-yard gain deep into Chargers territory. That play helped set up the Taysom Hill nine-yard touchdown run that took the game to overtime. 

Chargers gonna Charger  

            Justin Herbert is the future of the Charger franchise. In the four games, he’s started, the 6thoverall pick has completed 97/141 passes (69% completion) for 1,195 passing yards, 11 touchdowns, and three interceptions, where he’s faced off and kept pace with three former Super Bowl MVP’s in the Chiefs Patrick Mahomes (week 2), the Buccaneers’ Tom Brady (Week 4), and the Saints’ Drew Brees (Week 5). But, as great as the numbers have been for Herbert (20/34 completed passes [59% completion] for 264 yards and four touchdowns vs the Saints), the one stat he hasn’t been able to impress in is the win-loss column, as every game Herbert’s played in has been a loss. 0-4 as a starter, Herbert has yet to capture his first win as a pro, and he came incredibly close against New Orleans. After losing star receiver Keenan Allen (2-29-1) for the rest of the game to a back injury, Herbert quickly developed a solid connection with the big-bodied wideout Mike Williams (5-109-2), especially on deep passes. Their two best connections; a 64-yard deep go route that blew the Saints coverage wide open for an easy touchdown, and a 29-yard fade route that saw Williams out jump two defenders to make a critical 29-yard catch (more on that in a bit).  

            On the ground game, the absence of Austin Ekeler (hamstring) has been felt, but both backup halfbacks Justin Jackson (15-71) and Joshua Kelly (11-29) have made up for the loss in production, combining for 100 rushing yards on 26 carries. 

            The Chargers defense had a respectable outing against New Orleans. In the first half, they kept to the Saints offense to less than 150 yards, forcing four punts, a field goal, and a Brees turnover by second-year defensive back Nasir Adderley, picking him off on a crossing route meant for Emmanuel Sanders. Star pass rusher Joey Bosa, who’s playing under a laundry list of injuries, registered his fourth sack of the season, but only tacked on one QB hit and one tackle for the rest of the game. Linebacker Uchenna Nwosu had himself a day, registering four tackles and a sack on the night, before leaving the game with an injury. 

            The real reason the Chargers lost came down to the one position that no one values but they love to hate on; kicking. Michael Badgley missed his first kick of the game; wide left on an extra point attempt in the first quarter. He went on to make the next three extra points, before being called on to try and score a 50-yard field goal that was set up by Mike Williams’ 29-yard sideline circus catch. Badgley’s career distance record was 59 yards, a franchise record set back in 2018. But after getting a time out called right before the first kick attempt, Badgley’s second kicking attempt dinked off the right upright and fell a yard underneath the goal post. No good. This was the 9thloss by 7 or fewer points by the Chargers since 2019, an NFL record. The case can be made that the Chargers are the AFC version of the Atlanta Falcons; choking in situations where it matters most. 

What’s next? 

            New Orleans gets another home game in week 6, getting ready to host a Panthers squad that is riding a 3-game win streak against the Chargers (what a coincidence) in week 3, the Cardinals in week 4, and the Falcons in week 5.  

            As for Los Angeles, Herbert’s win is all but guaranteed to come next week, as the Chargers host the 0-5 New York Jets at SoFi Stadium.

Writer

-By: Juan Camargo-Guarin