INGLEWOOD, Calif. – This is one of those needed-to-steal games. You beat the teams (Miami) you’re supposed to and then take as many as you can of which you are an underdog.
That’s how you climb over a win total of 5½.
Heck, that’s how you keep things interesting for yourself in the AFC West.
The Las Vegas Raiders have done so now through two weeks and are perfect for it.
They beat the Chargers 26-14 on Sunday at SoFi Stadium, taking down a team many believed would contend for a division title this year.
The Chargers are now 0-2 and looking every bit of it.
Raiders quarterback Kirk Cousins had himself a fine afternoon, completing 19 of 29 for 253 yards with three touchdowns and one interception..
The Chargers were better (at least in some phases) this week than in a season-opening loss to Arizona, which tells you how bad they looked against the Cardinals. Because they were far from competent for most of Sunday. Not even close.
But the Raiders also raised their game from dismissing the lowly Dolphins last week. The Raiders really defended well across the opening 30 minutes but for one Charger sustained scoring drive. Ten plays, 69 yards.
But this could have even been a wider margin of victory.
It was a case of missed opportunities for the Raiders early on, one being on a fourth-and-goal call from the 1 that was stuffed and another on their first possession and deep in Los Angeles territory.
That’s when Tre Tucker slipped on his route and a good throw by Cousins was instead intercepted.
But it didn’t deter the duo. Cousins would find Tucker for a 40-yard score — a wide open Tucker — to give the Raiders a 7-0 lead early in the second quarter.
So much was made of the Raiders needing a sure fire No. 1 receiver before the season and that still is the case. But in Tucker they have someone capable of such big plays.
It wasn’t the cleanest game. There were at least seven drops between the teams. Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty had three himself.
Next up: A game at New Orleans, which is 1-1 to start the season and won in Baltimore on Sunday. The Saints will be favored, so once again it’s a game the Raiders need to steal on the ol’ win-loss ledger.
They showed both really good and some bad against the Chargers in front of, as expected, a pro-Raiders crowd. But they had more than enough in the end.
Two-and-oh.
How are you feeling, Raiders fans?
Ed Graney, a Sigma Delta Chi Award winner for sports column writing, can be reached at egraney@reviewjournal.com. Follow @edgraney on X.
