Raiders Survive Final Play In Los Angeles, Hold On To 31-26 Win Against Chargers Sunday
By Alan Snel of LVSportsBiz.com
The Raiders’ roller-coaster season with big wins over the Saints and Chiefs and COVID-19 setbacks and fines came down to one final defensive play against the Chargers at the sparkling new stadium in LA with a lonely second left on the game clock late Sunday afternoon.
It appeared as if there was a Chargers touchdown toss by rookie quarterback sensation Justin Herbert and apparent win by a point over the Raiders.
But there was a review of the play. And the refs flipped the call. The ruling: no catch, just an incomplete pass that saved the Raiders’ lead. The Raiders defensive nearly broke, but in the end it held.
It’s what you’re in this business for. It’s why fans love it. It’s really what makes the world go around. The competition and the excitement, the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat, that pretty much summarizes it. I wish Jim McKay was here to say it for me. — Raiders coach Jon Gruden on the final play
And just like that, the Las Vegas Raiders walked out of SoFi Stadium with a 31-26 win over the Los Angeles Chargers, which have taken new ways to suffer painful losses to a new creative art form.
The Raiders won their second straight game after a 16-6 win over the Browns in a nasty weather game.
The Raiders improved to 5-3. The Chargers, which lost by a point to Denver on the last play last week, fell to 2-6.
“It’s what you’re in this business for,” Raiders coach Jon Gruden said after the game. “The competition.”
Here are Gruden’s comments after the game.
There were no fans in SoFi Stadium for the game. The Raiders used to play in Los Angeles, so if there were fans it’s safe many locals would be there donned in silver & black.
The game was an up-and-down affair, with the Raiders allowing a touchdown pass late in the first half. And a fumble by Raiders quarterback Derek Carr in the final seconds of the first half allowed the Chargers to kick a field goal and lead 17-14 at halftime.
But Carr came out blazing in the second half. He threw a 45-yard touchdown to wide receiver Nelson Agholor just minutes into the second half.
And then he made a Superman-like leap to secure a first down on the next drive en route to a short touchdown pass to tight end Darren Waller and the Raiders led, 28-17 in the third quarter.
On Monday, Gruden commented on the Carr leap.
I’d probably give it a 9.5, I don’t know. I’d like to see him land on his feet for a perfect 10. It’s a great effort. We talked about Derek scrambling and creating more offense with his legs. I think he’s rushed for 10 or 11 first downs now. That’s consecutive week’s he’s converted a play on his own on third down-and-10-plus. So that’s a huge winning edge for us is Carr’s improvisation and scrambling ability. As long as he protects himself and protects the ball, that’s the most important thing. — Raiders coach Jon Gruden
The Raiders return to Allegiant Stadium Sunday for a game against the Denver Broncos.
