Chargers at Raiders: Highlights, score and recap

The San Diego Chargers and Oakland Raiders did battle on Sunday in a classic AFC West showdown, and the game definitely did not disappoint.

Any game played between AFC West teams is sure to be exciting, but the first half of the San Diego Chargers and Oakland Raiders game on Sunday was anything but. The first half featured four field goals, as the teams struggled to punch it in once they reached the red zone. The only touchdown of the first half came on a beautiful Philip Rivers to Ty Williams connection in the second quarter.

Oakland opened the scoring on a 20-yard field goal by Sebastian Janikowski, which was set up by a long 16-play drive by the Raiders. Derek Carr appeared to hit Amari Cooper on a fade route the play before, but he barely could not keep his second foot in bounds. The Chargers would score their touchdown on the following possession, and the teams traded field goals the rest of the half.

The second half got started with a big touchdown drive by San Diego, as Rivers hit tight end Hunter Henry for 59 yards on the drive. The drive was capped by Melvin Gordon’s 18-yard reception for a touchdown. The score put the Chargers up 17-9. Oakland answered right back, as Carr hit Cooper for a 64-yard strike for their first touchdown connection of the season.

Henry made his presence felt once again on the following possession, as River hit him from one yard out for a touchdown. The play was set up by a long reception from Tyrell Williams, which went for 50 yards. The touchdown passed moved Rivers past Johnny Unitas on the all-time list.

However, for the second week in a row, the fumble came back to haunt San Diego. Melvin Gordon fumbled late in the third quarter, as the Chargers were looking to add to their five-point lead. The miscue allowed the Raiders to begin their drive with great field possession, and they took advantage of it. Carr hit Michael Crabtree on a fourth down try to give the Raiders a 25-24 lead. Their two-point conversion was good, as Carr hit Cooper to give the Raiders a three-point lead.

After the Raiders stopped the Chargers on a three-and-out the next series, a horrid punt set the Raiders up once again with great field position. Oakland punched it in again, as fullback Jamize Olawale scored from one-yard out. The touchdown was set up by a pass interference call in the end zone, which gave Oakland the ball at the one.

Rivers would not go away, leading the Chargers into the end zone in the team’s next possession. Like he has done so many times before, Rivers hit Antonio Gates for the score, as the game once again became a three-point contest. However, a botched field goal attempt with just over two minutes left gave the Raiders back the ball, and they eventually held on.

Final score, Oakland 34, San Diego 31.

1. Derek Carr

Time after time, Derek Carr made a big play to keep a drive going. He continues to grow as an NFL quarterback, and never let the game get to big on Sunday. Once again, the third-year signal-caller threw for over 300 yards, leading the Raiders to their first division win in 2016. Carr also threw for two touchdowns in the game, and could have had a few more.

Carr and the Raiders moved to 4-1 with the win, tying the Denver Broncos for first place in the AFC West. A big reason for the resurgence of the franchise has been Carr, who is their first franchise quarterback since Rich Gannon. On Sunday, he proved what his leadership does for the Raiders, who appear to be a playoff-caliber team.

2. Amari Cooper

Amari Cooper finally found the end zone on Sunday, and he actually could have had three of them. Twice he missed touchdowns by an inch, as he was finally utilized in the red zone by Oakland. Cooper did finish with six receptions for 138 yards and a touchdown. The Raiders are 4-1 for the first time since they went to the Super Bowl in 2002, and Cooper is a big reason why.

3. Philip Rivers

The San Diego Chargers have been hard-luck losers in all four of their losses this season, and on Sunday, they found another way to lose. After a couple fumbles led to a loss last week, the Chargers botched a field goal attempt late in the game that would have forced a tie. Through it all, Philip Rivers has displayed a never say die attitude, and it was apparent again against the Raiders.

Rivers came into the game with only one interception on the season, and although he threw two against Oakland, he still had an incredible game. The veteran threw for four touchdowns, amassed 365 yards, and continuously led his team down the field. San Diego played extremely short-handed in the game, but you would never know with how Rivers kept them in it.

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Odds

The Raiders are a 3.5 point favorite against their AFC West rival on Sunday. The odds makers have set the over/under at 51 points, so like us, they are expecting a bunch of points on Sunday. These two teams could easily go over that number.

Next Week

It will be a short week for the San Diego Chargers, who will host the Denver Broncos in a Thursday night matchup in Week 6. The Raiders will stay home to host the Kansas City Chiefs.