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By Alan Snel of LVSportsBiz.com
LOS ANGELES — You didn’t expect the Las Vegas Raiders to win all 17 games this season, did you?
The Raiders lost their first game of the season to division foe Las Vegas Chargers, 28-14, on Monday Night Football at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. Both the Raiders and Chargers are 3-1.
The Raiders have pulled out two thrillers for wins against Baltimore on Monday Night Football Sept 13 and against the Miami Dolphins at Allegiant Stadium eight days ago.
After falling behind 21-0 at the half, the Raiders scored 14 unanswered in the third quarter and were marching for a potential tying TD in the fourth quarter after a long pass from Raiders quarterback Derek Carr to speedy receiver Henry Ruggs III.
But the drive fizzled, kicker Daniel Carlson missed a long field goal and the Chargers sealed the win with a touchdown on a 10-play, 58-yard march. They came away with a 28-14 win. The place looked packed Monday. Paid attendance was 70,240 last night.
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The last time the Las Vegas Raiders played in this colossus of a football stadium, they defeated the Los Angeles Rams in an exhibition game at SoFi Stadium in August.
But it’s not the Rams today. It was division rival Chargers hosting the previously-undefeated Raiders, which brought a 3-0 record into MNF. The Chargers came off a big road win over the defending AFC champs, the Kansas City Chiefs.
Last season, the Raiders did manage to squeeze out a win over the Chargers at SoFi Stadium, where — in 2020 — no fans were allowed in the NFL’s largest venue, SoFi Stadium.
This strapping NFL stadium features a very California-esque inside-outside feel with waterfalls, a lake and lavish landscaping embellishing a playing field that has a stunning oval scoreboard hovering above the ground.
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The Raiders played their weakest half of the season against the Chargers.
They trailed, 21-0, after the first half and showed no spark on offense. Carr, who has enjoyed a marvelous first three games, was under pressure and threw passes under duress all half.
Josh Jacobs returned to the backfield after missing the last two games with an injury and his slow-developing running plays yielded little yardage on the ground.
The Raiders gained a net 51 yards in the first half.
Chargers’ second-year quarterback Justin Herbert carved up the Raiders for 175 yards passing and three touchdowns in the first half.
He led the Chargers on a 12-play, 75-yard drive in the first quarter. And then in the second period, Herbert marched the Chargers down the field on drives of 80 and 69 yards and Los Angeles appeared dominant in leading the Raiders, 21-0, after the first 30 minutes.
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The Raiders have a strong fan base in Southern California. Check out this Raiders/Dodgers cross hybrid flag in the lot today.
Indeed, many Raiders from SoCal made the four-hour drive across the Mojave Desert to see the Allegiant Stadium construction site under construction in Las Vegas in 2018 and 2019.
SoFi Stadium is a $5 billion stadium project, while the overall budget for Allegiant Stadium was $2 billion, which included a $750 million public contribution to build the 65,000-seat, domed stadium on 62 acres across the interstate from Mandalay Bay.
Rams owner Stan Kroenke’s privately-financed stadium project and site redevelopment on 300 acres near the Forum arena in Inglewood includes retail and commercial development, plus a 6,000-seat YouTube theater.
The Raiders faithful arrive in the morning, getting on line in the right-hand land of Century Village in their pickup trucks with silver and black flags, propone gas and packed coolers.
The digital signs say the gates will open at 1 PM to take over the parking lots and set up their tents and grills. But I’m hanging out with Las Vegas Channel’s sports director Chris Maathuis, who points to the first tents popping up in a nearby lot around 12:30 PM.
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The NFL has a building next to the Rams/Chargers stadium, too, with parks slated to be built on the sprawling site. The NBA Los Angeles Clippers are also building a new arena near the stadium site.
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At 8:30 AM, there was already a car with a big Raiders flag extending from its trunk cruising along Century Boulevard.
The Raiders played in Los Angeles from 1982-94.
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