Las Vegas Raiders comeback falls short in 24-19 loss to Chargers
The Las Vegas Raiders nearly pulled off the comeback win but fell short in their 24-19 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.
After a thrilling season finale last season that catapulted the Las Vegas Raiders to the postseason and sent the Los Angeles Chargers to an early offseason vacation, Week 1 of the 2022 season set up a much-anticipated rematch. With both teams coming off an offseason that included notable roster additions, a win on Sunday afternoon would give the victor a significant early division win in what is expected to be a highly competitive AFC West.
The Silver and Black again very nearly pulled off a comeback at SoFi Stadium, but the Chargers would hold on for a 24-19 win in Southern California.
A quick glance at the box score would illustrate two teams that were on equal footing: Las Vegas finished with 320 total yards of offense to the Chargers’ 355. The Raiders finished with 64 yards on the ground in comparison to Los Angeles’ 76, despite finishing with 18 fewer rushing attempts. So where was the discrepancy that tilted the odds in the Chargers’ favor?
Look no further than the turnover battle: the Raiders surrendered six total turnovers while the Chargers were spotless in the stat column. Las Vegas offensive line was the question mark heading into the game and it still remains so in the aftermath of Week 1. The Raiders surrendered six total sacks for a combined loss of 39 yards. The Chargers meanwhile did not allow Justin Herbert to hit the ground once all game.
Despite the comeback script not seeing the light of day, there were a couple of bright spots to take away from the effort. Derek Carr’s synergy with Davante Adams could not go unnoticed. Adams totaled 141 receiving yards and a touchdown on Sunday, and running back Josh Jacobs also averaged 5.7 yards per carry on ten touches.
But the turnovers were indicative of the true theme of the day: the Raiders beat themselves in this Week 1 loss. Carr certainly had a day to forget, as his two passing touchdowns were also met with three total interceptions and three fumbles. In many instances, it felt like Carr was seeing the play a couple seconds too slow.
Perhaps his Week 1 performance was indicative of rust after being held out of preseason action. In general, it takes real game snaps to adjust to a new offensive system.
Next. Raiders: Numbers to keep an eye on in Week 1. dark
The Raiders surely have things to clean up after reviewing the game tape, but the close comeback should bring some level of assurance as they move onto Week 2. It’s clear that this offense boasts tremendous potential, but synergy will be required in an AFC West division where there is little to no margin for error. The NFL is a week-to-week league, and Las Vegas has a chance to bounce back in full as they welcome the Arizona Cardinals to Allegiant Stadium next Sunday.