The Las Vegas Raiders went on the road to their home-away-from-home of SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., and snapped a four-game losing streak to the Chargers with a 26-14 victory.
It was a much closer game than the score would indicate, but the Raiders did more than enough to close the door down the stretch and pull out the kind of game they probably would have found a way to lose in the past.
Here is a closer look at what went down:
Putting it into perspective
It was easy to write off the season-opening victory by saying it was just the Dolphins, a contender for worst team in the league.
But the Chargers had expectations. They were supposed to be good.
Now, it’s very possible that by the end of the season this is the kind of win that could be dismissed as, “Yeah, but it was just the Chargers.” They have a brutal stretch of games coming up and all of a sudden may also be one of the more disappointing teams in the league.
The Raiders, however, found a way to win a game they weren’t expected to win. That is a big step in the development of the culture Klint Kubiak and John Spytek are trying to build.
Star of the game
There are several possibilities here, but it’s hard not to pick cornerback Hezekiah Masses.
The rookie cornerback was pressed into a starting role by the injury to Darien Porter, with whom he competed for the job all the way through training camp.
Masses took full advantage of the opportunity with a pair of interceptions.
The first one, Masses admitted, was a bit fluky. He was beaten over the top on a play and Justin Herbert dropped a dime between Masses and fellow rookie Treydan Stukes into the hands of David Njoku for a big gain. But Masses didn’t give up on the play and when the veteran tight end bobbled the ball into the air, Masses was there to haul it in and go the other way.
The second one was very impressive. Masses broke on the route of Derius Davis before the receiver did and showed some physicality despite his small frame to fight to the ball. It was a very impressive debut, but it wasn’t just about the interceptions.
Masses allowed just two completions for 16 yards on six targets in his direction. He also came up to the line of scrimmage for a tackle in the backfield that he says really got him in the flow of the game in his first start.
Play of the game
The Chargers were at midfield with a chance to tie or take the lead with just less than four minutes to play when Nakobe Dean saved the day.
One of the team’s most important free-agent signings this offseason showed why he was so coveted as he met Chargers running back Omarion Hampton in the hole and walloped him right on the ball to force it loose.
Safety Jeremy Chinn picked up the scraps and returned it inside the 20-yard line as the Raiders started the celebration.
It wasn’t just the hit, however.
The Chargers used a tight end motion to get Dean off his spot at middle linebacker, so he had to widen with the motion. He was still able to stay connected to his run fit responsibility and once he saw the hole open up and Hampton take the handoff, there was no hesitation as he hit the gap like a guided missile.
Dean has been fantastic the first two weeks.
Drive of the game
The correct answer is probably the 11-play, 79-yard touchdown drive in the third quarter to take back the lead after the Chargers had gone ahead for the only time in the game, especially because the Raiders converted a fourth-and-1 in their own territory on a Connor Heyward sneak and scored the touchdown on a third-and-10 play.
But the much shorter drive after Dean’s forced fumble should be recognized.
The Raiders got the ball at the Chargers’ 16-yard line with 3:42 left and a 17-14 advantage. A field goal would have only put them up six points.
After two run plays, Kubiak called a play-action pass that had the entire Chargers defense fooled. The Chargers were clearly thinking they’d make a tackle short of the sticks and use up another timeout to force a field goal and get the ball back.
But Cousins only faked the give to Mike Washington Jr. Cody White further helped sell the fake by starting his route toward the middle of the field where he could help block. Then as the entire defense collapsed the line of scrimmage, he simply drifted to the end zone wide open and waited on the pass from Cousins for the easy touchdown that all but sealed the game.
What were they thinking?
The Raiders made the kind of egregious error that has haunted them far too often through all the losing seasons.
With the Chargers facing a fourth-and-1 at their own 46 with 3:52 to go and trailing by three, the Raiders called timeout to make sure they were on the same page for the biggest play of the game to that point.
Apparently, they didn’t discuss who would be playing on the fourth down try. The Raiders had 12 men on the field and gave the Chargers a free first down.
Klint Kubiak very appropriately called it “junk.”
The Raiders found a way to overcome it when Dean forced the fumble on the next play. But that stuff can’t happen.
Observations
■ The special teams have been mostly tremendous to start the year. While the Raiders gave up a big return in the opener, they countered with a couple of their own.
Matt Gay booted a 59-yard field goal Sunday and has been very good on kickoffs.
AJ Cole has been as good as ever, landing two punts at the 10-yard line against the Chargers. Through two weeks, the Raiders rank first in special teams by EPA and second by DVOA.
They have been good by any stretch and are a hidden factor in the Raiders starting 2-0.
■ Rookie fourth-round pick Jermod McCoy saw his first competitive game action since the 2024 College Football Playoffs.
He wasn’t perfect and is not quite back to the player who was a certain top-10 pick before his major knee injury, but there are signs he is coming on strong.
McCoy also showed he was willing to be physical as he stuck his head in on several tackles and was credited with solo and one assist.
“I thought he had very meaningful snaps in the game yesterday,” Kubiak said Monday. “We’re going to keep building him up, keep building his confidence, and he’s given us confidence to play him more.
“Real credit to … our entire training staff for all they’ve done to get him ready to play. And for all Jermod has done to put himself in position to play, it’s really special his work ethic and how it’s paying off for him.”
■ Herbert’s third fumble of the game, and the Chargers’ fifth of six total, was not a fumble. It was ruled as such by the officials and actually benefitted the Chargers when they recovered inches from the marker to set up fourth-and-short instead of fourth-and-6. Kubiak absolutely should have challenged the call, but did not. It would have almost certainly been ruled an incomplete pass in what was the first real test of the team’s review process.
“It’s something that we’re discussing how that all went down and what we could have done better, could have done differently,” Kubiak said. “But we made the decision that we made not to throw the flag.”
■ The defensive line was dominant again, taking advantage of the interior of the Chargers front. Defensive coordinator Rob Leonard had a great plan to attack those weaknesses. Over and over, the Raiders were able to overwhelm the Chargers right in front of Herbert.
According to NextGenStats, the Raiders have generated pressures on 50 percent of opponent dropbacks through two weeks. That’s the best rate in the league. The presence of Maxx Crosby helps, but the scheme is really putting players in good positions to get after the quarterback.
The next game against the Chargers could be a big test. One thing that is obvious on tape is that they are nowhere near a full understanding of the very complex Mike McDaniel offense. The offensive coordinator may need to simplify some things, perhaps when he starts his next job, because they are so close yet so far away on some of these plays that could be very effective.
■ The run game was a problem, but the Raiders are certainly facing stacked boxes.
Ashton Jeanty has seen eight or more defenders in the box on 41 percent of his snaps, second among all starting running backs in the league.
The line took a bit of a step backward against better competition this week, but Jeanty also isn’t creating on his own like he did last year. He’s currently at zero rushing yards about expectation according to NextGenStats, which means on average he’s picking up exactly what is blocked for him. Mike Washington Jr. is slightly better at .56 yards per attempt over expectation.
It wasn’t a great tape for the offensive line. But Jeanty has to do more, too. And the three dropped passes weren’t ideal, though the first one was thrown very hard at a short distance.
Looking ahead
The Raiders head to New Orleans to face the resurgent Saints (1-1), who are just a missed 2-point conversion in overtime away from being unbeaten with road wins over Detroit and Baltimore.
Second-year quarterback Tyler Shough is a major reason for their early success as he leads the team in passing yards.
It will be a reunion weekend for several players as longtime Raiders kicker Daniel Carlson is now kicking for the Saints. Former Raiders first-round pick Tyree Wilson is also on the roster, along with former fourth-round pick Decamerion Richardson.
Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on X.
Up next
Who: Raiders at New Orleans Saints
When: 1:25 p.m. Sunday
Where: Caesars Superdome, New Orleans
TV: CBS (Channel 8 in Las Vegas)
Streaming: Paramount+
Radio: KOMP-FM (92.3)
Line: Saints -3; total 44½
