The Chargers picked up their second consecutive win of the season, defeating the Raiders in a game that had fans of both teams on the edge of their seats.
To recap Week 4, here is everything you need to know:
It was over when...
Following Asante Samuel Jr.’s interception, Justin Herbert connected with Joshua Palmer for 51 yards on 3rd-and-10.
Keys to the game
- Justin Herbert accounted for all of the Chargers’ touchdowns.
- Khalil Mack had six sacks.
- The Chargers defense held the Raiders to 1-of-11 on third-down conversions.
- The Raiders had three turnovers.
3 stars of the game
- EDGE Khalil Mack: Mack had not recorded a sack this season before entering Sunday’s game. But he was a force to be reckoned with against his former team, finishing with a whopping six sacks, which was one shy from Pro Football Hall of Famer Derrick Thomas, who holds the all-time record for most sacks in a single game.
- QB Justin Herbert: Herbert accounted for all of the Chargers’ touchdowns, two of which came on the ground. But the biggest play came near the end of the game on 3rd-and-10 as Herbert, who had a big splint on his left middle finger, delivered a 51-yard dime to Joshua Palmer down the sideline to seal the deal.
- CB Asante Samuel Jr.: Samuel had a bone-headed penalty in the third quarter when he body slammed Hunter Renfrow, which resulted in an unnecessary roughness penalty. But he made up for it with the game-clinching interception near the goal line.
Quick Hits
- This was not a prolific passing performance from Herbert, as he finished the game with 13-of-24 passing for 167 yards, a touchdown and an interception. While it might not have been his arm (except for his clutch pass to Palmer), where he was strong was his athleticism to pick up yards with his legs, including his first rushing touchdown and his escapability to avoid would-be sacks. The bottom line is that Herbert is a warrior.
- Regardless of what you think of Brandon Staley’s decision to go for it on 4th-and-1, which resulted in Herbert getting stuffed, those are must-haves. Herbert was playing behind a backup center in Will Clapp, and his hand was injured, so the play call should have been different in that moment.
- As a whole, the Chargers finished with 37 carries for 155 yards (4.2 YPC). A big chunk came from Derius Davis’ 51-yard carry on Los Angeles’ opening drive. But I thought Joshua Kelley had a solid performance, finishing with 65 yards on 17 rushes. This was promising after combining for just 51 yards on 24 carries the past two games combined. Isaiah Spiller failed to make much of an impact on the ground, totaling just 12 yards on five carries.
- Joshua Palmer led the team in receiving with three catches for 77 yards, most of it coming from the 51-yard reception. Keenan Allen was next with three catches for 32 yards and a touchdown. Quentin Johnston was targeted three times and turned it into one catch for 18 yards.
- Despite Joey Bosa, Derwin James and Alohi Gilman being out, the rest of the defense stepped up and it was led by Khalil Mack. Mack’s six sacks will make the headlines, but his two forced fumbles were in Raiders territory, and they ultimately led to touchdowns by the Chargers.
- The Chargers were stout against Josh Jacobs, allowing an average of 3.4 yards per carry and not giving up a run over 10 yards. Additionally, the secondary did a fine job of keeping nearly everything in front and not allowing explosive passing plays, something that’s been an issue this season.
- It wouldn’t be a Chargers game without fans biting their fingernails. Despite having a 24-7 lead and looking strong on both sides of the ball, they let their foot off the gas and nearly gave up the game in the second half. This needs to be addressed at the bye week, starting strong and finishing strong.
What's next?
The Chargers head into their bye week with a 2-2 record before hosting the Cowboys for Sunday Night Football on Oct. 16 at 5:15 p.m. PT.
