Las Vegas Raiders at Chargers 2022 Week 1: Studs and Duds

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INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 11: Cornerback Rock Ya-Sin #26 of the Las Vegas Raiders attempts to tackle running back Austin Ekeler #30 of the Los Angeles Chargers during the first half at SoFi Stadium on September 11, 2022, in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /

Las Vegas Raiders at Chargers 2022 Week 1: Studs and Duds

Studs – Raiders second half defense

Despite the loss and some of the early struggles, the Raiders’ defense deserves a ton of credit for playing a much-improved game in the second half. After allowing 17 points in the first half, the defense stiffened and held the Chargers to just seven points in the second half.

Their performance is made even better by the fact that the Raiders lost the turnover battle 3-0 but only lost the game by five points. This vaunted Chargers offense is supposed to be among the best in the NFL but the Raiders held Justin Herbert to under three hundred yards and limited the rushing attack to under 100 yards.

Of course, there is still room for improvement as the pass rush did not record a sack but there are plenty of positives to be taken from this performance including big plays behind the line of scrimmage by Maxx Crosby, Chandler Jones, and Nate Hobbs. Not every team the Raiders face will have a quarterback this good or a receiver group this talented so we can expect better performances as the year goes along.

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