NFL Week 4 Game Recap: Los Angeles Chargers 24, Las Vegas Raiders 17

For the second week in a row, the Los Angeles Chargers gambled on a late fourth down on their own side of the field and fell short. They got away with it once again, this time by snagging an interception in the end zone. The Chargers won their second straight contest after a tough 0-2 start, getting their season back on track with a divisional win over the Las Vegas Raiders.

Raiders fourth-round rookie quarterback Aidan O’Connell had a chance to tie this game up late, but his mistakes were the difference in an ugly game where the Chargers couldn’t get much done on offense.

Offensive spotlight: Raiders star wide receiver Davante Adams went to the locker room for about a quarter of game time yet still managed eight receptions for 75 yards. Star running back Josh Jacobs had his best game of the young season, recording 139 all-purpose yards on 25 touches and scoring a late touchdown that put the Raiders in striking distance.

Chargers wide receiver Josh Palmer had a game-clinching 51-yard catch on third-and-10 with under two minutes to go, putting the game out of reach as Los Angeles was able to kneel it out. Otherwise, the offense struggled mightily to move the ball against a Raiders defense that had been quite malleable the past two weeks.

Defensive spotlight: Raiders edge defender Maxx Crosby was in the backfield plenty and tallied two sacks on the day. He chased Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert out of the pocket on several other occasions, including one early scramble that led to the ejection of former Chargers first-round pick Jerry Tillery, who hit Herbert extremely late out of bounds. Safety Trevon Moehrig also had an interception on an overthrow from Herbert, and during the return, Herbert injured his non-throwing hand. He was able to return.

Chargers edge defender Khalil Mack became the fifth player in NFL history to record six-plus sacks in a single game, getting his sixth with about 12 minutes to go. The Raiders were chipping him or moving the pocket away from him on their final few possessions.

Rookie spotlight: Raiders rookie quarterback Aidan O’Connell was thrust into the starting lineup after Jimmy Garoppolo was ruled out with a concussion, and there were some positives despite an overall tough debut. However, O’Connell took seven sacks and fumbled the ball three times, losing two of them, to go along with the game-sealing interception.

Chargers rookie edge defender Tuli Tuipulotu got the start opposite Khalil Mack due to Joey Bosa‘s toe injury, and he recorded a tackle for loss. Rookie wideout Quentin Johnston saw an expanded role following the loss of Mike Williams for the season, but the lack of offensive production limited him to just one reception for 18 yards. The catch was a key first-down conversion early in the game that had to be challenged, as he corralled the ball right above the turf.

Box Score

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Receiving