INGLEWOOD, Calif. — How the Las Vegas Raiders performed Sunday in a 26-14 victory over the AFC West rival Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium:
Offense: A-
Kirk Cousins showcased his deep ball touch en route to 253 passing yards, completing 19 of 29 passes to go with three touchdowns and an interception. Wide receiver Tre Tucker — who slipped as the intended target on an in-breaking route on the interception — broke free down the field for two receptions of 40-plus yards on his way to five catches for 119 yards and score.
Practice squad wideout Cody White had two receiving touchdowns.
Running back Ashton Jeanty didn’t have as much room to run this week — following a 102-yard outing last week against the Miami Dolphins — with 21 carries for 48 yards as the Chargers made him their focal point.
Defense: A+
Timely blitzes with a steady rush ensured Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert was under duress with 192 passing yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions to cornerback Hezekiah Masses, starting as a rookie for injured teammate Darien Porter.
Defensive end Malcolm Koonce split a sack with linebacker Nakobe Dean, who stuffed a third-down run midway through the third quarter and forced running back Omarion Hampton to fumble (with safety Jeremy Chinn recovering the football) in the fourth.
Dean added two of the unit’s nine hits on Herbert, who battled a sticky secondary.
Special Teams: A
Kicker Matt Gay made a 59-yard field goal in the final seconds of the second quarter, the longest of his eight-year career. AJ Cole helped Las Vegas stay on track with field position, averaging 46.2 yards on six punts.
Coaching: A-
Coach Klint Kubiak was appropriately aggressive as a game manager and play caller, converting a key second-half fourth down and dialing up several completions down field. Fullback Connor Heyward’s quarterback sneak on fourth-and-1 from the Raider 35-yard line extended an 11-play, 74-yard drive that ended with White’s touchdown catch from Cousins.
Also executed on that drive was a toss to Jeanty turned throwback to Cousins, who completed a 27-yard pass to Dareke Young in addition to Tucker’s 40-yarders.
Defensive coordinator Rob Leonard’s unit pressured Herbert for the better part of four quarters, also featuring 12 men after a fourth-quarter timeout on fourth down. Dean forced the fumble on the ensuing play.
Contact Sam Gordon at sgordon@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BySamGordon on X.
