Week 9 Recap: Las Vegas Raiders vs. Los Angeles Chargers

In what has become a recurring theme in the 2020 NFL season, the Los Angeles Chargers (2-6) came up short at the end of the game. The Las Vegas Raiders (5-3) escaped town with a 31-26 win against their division foe.

Los Angeles

In a bid to further his Rookie of the Year campaign, Justin Herbert again put on a clinic. He tossed for over 300 yards for the fourth time in seven games this season (326 total) and added two touchdowns with a 105.9 rating. A week after he was picked off twice against the Denver Broncos, he kept that column clean. Herbert sits on an outstanding touchdown-to-interception ratio of 17:5 and has added two more touchdowns with his legs.

As expected, wide receivers Keenan Allen and Mike Williams were the main beneficiaries of Herbert’s big day. The duo combined for 184 yards on 14 catches. Allen had a touchdown going away with time waning in the second quarter to tie the affair before the Chargers would also force a fumble shortly thereafter and head into the half with a 17-14 lead.

For his part, Williams had several highlight-reel catches, including a nifty grab with 18 seconds left in the game to set the Chargers up with a first down (he has 15 on the season) and a chance to win. Eventually, the game would end on the final play when a Herbert pass to Donald Parham, Jr. was called a touchdown on the field but overturned upon booth review with no time remaining.

Las Vegas

Quarterback Derek Carr only completed 13 passes in the contest, but still amassed 165 yards and had two touchdown lobs. He threw one to all-world tight end Darren Waller (an understated five catch, 22-yard game) which put the Raiders up 28-17 in the third quarter, and another to journeyman wideout Nelson Agholor. Hunter Renfrow paced the wide receiver corps with 60 yards receiving, as Carr spread the ball around to seven different players in the passing game.

Carr made up for a detrimental strip-sack at the end of the first half by tossing his two touchdowns in the third quarter and forcing Los Angeles to play catch-up.

The running game was a mix of the usual and the surprising. Josh Jacobs toted the rock 14 times for 65 yards (a 4.6-yard average) and one trip to the painted area for six. However, Devontae Booker set the tone with an unbelievable burst on a 23-yard scamper during the first quarter for the game’s first score. Booker finished with eight carries for 64 yards and a 8.5-yard average.

Highlights

Book made it look easy.#LVvsLAC | FOX pic.twitter.com/YEOYgao7kU
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) November 8, 2020

slayer loves the end zone 🙏@Keenan13Allen | 📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/loDdsCAd0h
— Los Angeles Chargers (@Chargers) November 8, 2020

DC dropped it right in the basket for six. 🧺#LVvsLAC | FOX pic.twitter.com/qi0ykARjuX
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) November 8, 2020

SO CLOSE.

The Chargers lose a heartbreaker to the Raiders after this initial TD was overturned. (via @NFL)pic.twitter.com/9SV2mqdaNN
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) November 9, 2020

The rivalry continues on Thursday Night Football for the second installment of the matchup in 2020 on Dec. 17. This week, the Chargers will travel to Miami to face off against a surprising Miami Dolphins squad as Las Vegas returns home to host another division tilt with the Denver Broncos.

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