Herbert, Ekeler propel Chargers to 28-14 win over Raiders

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INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Justin Herbert threw for 3 touchdowns, Austin Ekeler rushed for a career-high 117 yards and scored doubly and the Los Angeles Chargers knocked the Las Vegas Raiders from the unbeaten ranks with a 28-14 triumph Monday night.

Los Angeles is 3-1 for the archetypal clip since 2014 and portion of a three-way necktie atop the AFC West with Las Vegas and Denver. The Raiders’ nonaccomplishment means the Arizona Cardinals are the NFL’s lone undefeated squad aft 4 weeks.

Chargers first-year manager Brandon Staley was pleased with his team’s violative equilibrium arsenic good arsenic staying wrong the crippled plan. Los Angeles had the shot for astir 35 minutes with 3 of their 4 scoring drives going 9 plays oregon more.

“We stayed patient, I thought we had a bully premix of the tally and pass. Justin was highly diligent tand Austin came live tonight,” helium said..

Herbert, who completed 25 of 38 passes for 222 yards, accounted for each of his TDs successful the archetypal fractional arsenic the Chargers built a 21-0 halftime lead. The Raiders scored connected their archetypal 2 possessions of the 2nd fractional to gully wrong a touchdown, but Ekeler gave Los Angeles immoderate breathing country with an 11-yard tally disconnected near guard. Herbert had the cardinal play of the thrust with a 13-yard completion to Jared Cook connected fourth-and-2 from midfield.

Herbert achieved a brace of milestones successful the win. He completed his 500th walk successful his 19th start, becoming the archetypal backmost successful the Super Bowl epoch to scope that earlier his 20th start. He has accounted for 10 touchdowns successful his archetypal 3 premier clip games, tying Patrick Mahomes and Dan Marino.

Ekeler, who had 145 full yards, besides had a touchdown reception successful the 2nd quarter.

Derek Carr was 21 of 34 for 196 yards with 2 touchdowns and an interception. The Raiders could negociate lone 48 yards rushing against a Chargers defence that was past successful the league successful tally defense.

“We cannot travel retired and instrumentality that galore punches successful the archetypal round. I’m arrogant of our guys showing a toughness to get up and support fighting, but that was ridiculous tonight,” Raiders manager Jon Gruden said. “They got connected america and they got aft america successful each 3 phases, and we recovered a mode to marque it a shot crippled and springiness ourselves a chance, but it’s conscionable excessively hard successful this league against bully teams.”

The Chargers took the opening kickoff and went 75 yards successful 12 plays. Herbert completed each six of his passes connected the drive, including a 4 gait slug to choky extremity Donald Parham successful the backmost of the extremity portion to enactment them connected apical 7-0.

Los Angeles extended its pb to 21-0 astatine halftime by scoring connected the last 2 drives of the archetypal half. Herbert’s 10-yard TD to Cook was acceptable up by a 41-yard completion to a wide unfastened Stephen Anderson to the Raiders 12 3 plays earlier.

After the Raiders went three-and-out, Herbert led the Chargers connected a nine-play drive. He completed his past 5 passes, including a 14-yard surface to Ekeler for the score.

Las Vegas was held to 1 archetypal down and 51 nett yards successful the archetypal half, but made adjustments astatine halftime and scored connected its archetypal 2 possessions of the 2nd half. The Raiders took the third-quarter kickoff and scored erstwhile Carr recovered Hunter Renfrow for a 10-yard touchdown.

Darren Waller past drew Las Vegas wrong a TD erstwhile helium caught a 3-yard walk with 1:44 remaining successful the third.

Late start

The Chargers Hollywood Park location has a extortion implicit it, but the commencement of the crippled was delayed 35 minutes owed to lightning strikes successful the area. SoFi Stadium is classified arsenic open-air owed to the northbound broadside being unfastened connected the precocious deck. Torrential rainfall deed the Los Angeles country astir an hr earlier kickoff.

“I’ve ne'er had an indoor stadium with a lightning delay. This is simply a bizarre nighttime for each of us,” said Gruden, who added helium didn’t person an mentation for the delay.

Golden milestone

Joey Bosa recorded his 50th vocation sack during the archetypal 4th erstwhile helium brought down Carr for a 9-yard nonaccomplishment and forced a fumble that ended up being recovered by Las Vegas defender John Simpson.

Bosa, who is successful his sixth season, reached it successful 67 vocation games, faster than immoderate Chargers subordinate since sacks were kept arsenic an authoritative stat successful 1982.

Injuries

Raiders: Cornerbacks Damon Arnette (groin) and Trayvon Mullen Jr. (foot) were injured during the archetypal 4th and did not return. Cornerback Nate Hobbs suffered a concussion successful the 2nd half. Tight extremity Derrick Carrier (pectoral) besides had an wounded during the archetypal half.