Oakland Raiders defense fuels 26-24 win over Los Angeles Chargers

The Oakland Raiders and their defense fended off their division-rival Los Angeles Chargers on Thursday Night Football. Here are our highlights, score, and recap from Week 10.

The Oakland Raiders and Los Angeles Chargers both came into Thursday Night’s matchup following big wins, looking to capitalize on the momentum. Sitting at 4-4 and 4-5 respectively, a win in Week 10 would be a huge push in the race for the playoffs.

It was all Raiders defense to start the night, as Philip Rivers looked flustered in the first quarter. Clelin Ferrell and Maxx Crosby did an excellent job of generating pressure, bringing down Rivers twice early on. When it wasn’t the pass rush, it was Erik Harris causing problems for the Chargers, snagging two early interceptions and bringing the latter back for six points. Oakland won the first quarter 10-0.

Los Angeles looked to the ground game in the second quarter, riding the wheels of Melvin Gordon and Austin Ekeler. Capping off a long drive, Rivers connected with Hunter Henry to cut the Raiders’ lead, 10-7. Once again, penalties were the story of the second quarter, and it killed any Raiders’ defensive momentum.

Melvin Gordon found the endzone to give the Chargers their first lead, 14-10. After a two-minute drill run to perfection, Gruden capped off the drive with a little Spider Y 2 Banana to take back the lead before halftime, 17-14.

Failing to capitalize on opportunities was the common theme in the second half, for both teams. Whether it was a stagnant offense for Oakland or botched plays for Los Angeles, both teams deferred to field goals. With about four minutes to go in the fourth, an Austin Ekeler touchdown gave the Chargers the lead 21-20.

Fear not, Josh Jacobs again proved to be the closer, finding the endzone for a last-minute score. Karl Joseph sealed the 26-24 victory with a clutch interception on fourth down.