Chargers Defense Shines in victory Over Raiders, But Khalil Mack Suffers Injury
The Los Angeles Chargers secured a win against the Las Vegas Raiders on monday night, largely thanks to a dominant defensive performance that salvaged a challenging day for the Chargers’ offense. However,the victory came with a concern as star linebacker Khalil Mack sustained an injury during the game.
A critical fourth-and-1 attempt from the chargers’ 50-yard line proved disastrous when a jet sweep handoff to receiver Derius Davis was botched by quarterback Justin Herbert and Davis. The Raiders took possession in Chargers territory, trailing by 11 points. The Raiders’ drive stalled when derwin James broke up a pass intended for Jakobi Meyers in the end zone, with the tipped ball secured by teammate Alohi Gilman.
The Chargers’ defense continued to stifle the Raiders, forcing a turnover on downs later in the fourth quarter. Following the stop, the Chargers took over at the Raiders’ 29-yard line, but quickly turned the ball over with a fumble by running back roschon hampton on the first play of the drive. Despite the offensive miscues, the defense remained resilient, forcing another turnover on downs on the subsequent Raiders series. according to analysis by Popper, the defensive unit “salvaged a pretty sloppy day from the Chargers’ offense.”
Raiders tight end Michael Mayer, a second-year star, was largely absent from the game plan. targeted just once in the first half for a 5-yard gain, he didn’t see his second target until the third quarter. He finished with a 9-yard catch on third-and-5 and another 9-yard pickup on third-and-6. A later drive, spanning 11:15 between the third and fourth quarters, saw Raiders quarterback Aidan O’Connell target Mayer in the end zone, but the pass was incomplete, resulting in only three points for Las Vegas. Mayer was listed as “questionable” for the game after injuring his knee in Week 1 against the New England Patriots.
O’Connell struggled with interceptions throughout the game, throwing three. His first interception came on the opening play from scrimmage, while the next two occurred after negative or no-gain plays on second down, both on third down. The third interception, thrown on a third-and-15 attempt, was batted into the hands of Alohi Gilman by Derwin James. the Chargers’ defense overall broke up or batted away 15 passes. as noted by Jourdan rodrigue, O’Connell appeared to be “pressing to try to make plays happen” with mayer largely unavailable.
Adding another layer to the Raiders’ sideline, Tom Brady, now a minority owner of the team, was observed in the coaches’ box wearing a headset during the game. reports from the ESPN broadcast indicated Brady speaks with offensive coordinator Chip Kelly multiple times per week to discuss the game plan.Head coach Antonio Pierce denied the report’s accuracy, stating Brady has conversations with peopel on the team, including himself.
(Photo of Chargers linebacker Daiyan henley celebrating a stop against the raiders in the fourth quarter: Sean M. Haffey / Getty Images)
