LAS VEGAS — Welcome to Allegiant Stadium.
Bear in mind to tip your Raiders.
The Chargers didn’t neglect. They had been essentially the most beneficiant tippers on the town Monday night time, with eight totally different gamers swatting away a complete of 15 passes and intercepting three extra in a 20-9 victory over their AFC West rivals.
It was a defensive masterpiece, one completed with out star edge rusher Khalil Mack, whose arm was crunched on a sort out, and with linebacker Daiyan Henley — who at instances appeared launched from a Circus Circus cannon — on the mend from a nasty abdomen bug.
“At times it felt like there were more than 11 out there, especially in the secondary,” Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh mentioned.
Typically, a quantity is greater than a quantity. For instance, the Chargers are 2-0, however they’re even higher than that as a result of these two wins got here in opposition to division opponents, counting the season-opening victory over Kansas Metropolis. The Chargers play their residence opener Sunday in opposition to Denver with an opportunity to run the desk on their first three of six division video games.
Whereas quarterback Justin Herbert was within the highlight within the win over the Chiefs, Monday’s sport belonged to the protection — beginning with Henley’s interception on the primary play from scrimmage. He plucked a carom after teammate Alohi Gilman broke up Geno Smith’s first cross.
It was as if the supercharged stadium sprung a hissing leak.
“That’s deflating, bro,” Chargers security Derwin James mentioned. “It’s deflating to their coordinator — you’ve got your first 15 [plays] drawn up and the first play’s a pick? Very deflating.”
The play had the other impact on Henley, who felt so dangerous earlier than the sport his standing was downgraded to questionable. He completed with a game-high 10 tackles and a sack.
“Saying I felt like crap is an understatement,” he mentioned. “It was definitely a long game out there, but I got so much motivation just being part of this team, being with a group of guys that got my back no matter what.”
Chargers linebacker Daiyan Henley celebrates after sacking Raiders quarterback Geno Smith within the fourth quarter on Monday night time.
(Sean M. Haffey / Getty Pictures)
Tony Jefferson had an interception for the Chargers on the finish of the primary half, and Donte Jackson had one ultimately zone close to sport’s finish.
Raiders quarterback Geno Smith was 0 for 11 on passes thrown 10 or extra yards downfield, the second-most makes an attempt and not using a completion since ESPN started monitoring the statistic in 2006.
Harbaugh heaped reward on James, calling him “the best safety I’ve ever seen in the history of the National Football League” and “Superman.”
“He was playing at the line of scrimmage, intermediate, deep half, blitzing off the edge,” the coach mentioned. “He can play nickel, dime backer, corner — he’s a five-tool, maybe six-tool player. You’d have to compare him to Willie Mays.”
The Raiders generated 218 yards of offense, 171 fewer than their efficiency at New England the week earlier than.
“What that really feels like is a real missed opportunity just in general,” Raiders coach Pete Carroll mentioned.
“We didn’t play well enough on the offensive side with the turnovers that add up. … They covered us up pretty good. I’m anxious to see the film.”
That received’t be the feel-good film of the summer time.
The Chargers, in the meantime, spiraled in all the precise methods. Herbert threw a laser to Keenan Allen behind the top zone, and a pristine rainbow to Quentin Johnston for a 60-yard landing. He spun his passes with mechanical precision.
“The guy is exactly what we thought he was for a long time now,” Henley mentioned of Herbert. “He’s been out there controlling and commanding the game, not just the offense, but commanding the game. When we give him the ball, we understand that we can rest knowing that [he] is going to get the job done.”
If this was a yardstick sport, the guests measured up and the Raiders took a ruler-rap throughout the knuckles, shedding to the Chargers for the fourth time previously 5 conferences.
Allegiant Stadium crackled with vitality for this opener, with Raiders minority proprietor Tom Brady carrying headphones within the coaches’ field, Lil Jon acting at halftime, and two soccer rockstars roaming the sidelines — Harbaugh and Carroll — longstanding rivals since their days at Stanford and USC, and San Francisco and Seattle.
Carroll grew to become the primary particular person to teach an NFL sport at age 74, and youthful as he’s, the sport needed to sap his spirit a bit. The Chargers had been in management all through.
Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh and Raiders coach Pete Carroll shake palms after the Chargers’ win Monday.
(Sean M. Haffey / Getty Pictures)
Each groups are breaking in first-round operating backs, rookies Omarion Hampton of the Chargers and Ashton Jeanty of the Raiders. Every made some spectacular performs, but neither was a real game-changer. Hampton absorbed a success from Maxx Crosby and misplaced the ball on an trade when the Chargers had been attempting to place the sport on ice.
Within the second half, the Raiders had a 19-play, 11-minute drive that resulted in a area purpose, the gang booing in frustration because the kicking unit ran onto the sphere. Like profitable $5 on a $100 wager.
Two NFL groups haven’t allowed a first-half landing this younger season: Inexperienced Bay and the Chargers.
Brady, a Fox NFL analyst on Sundays, was in a position to catch his staff after working the Philadelphia-Kansas Metropolis sport the night time earlier than.
He got here a reasonably great distance, and his franchise has a reasonably lengthy approach to go.
