Studs and Duds From Chargers’ Dispirited Loss to Raiders

The Los Angeles Chargers had an opportunity to get things back on track before it was too late on Sunday when they hosted the Las Vegas Raiders. They had lost in Week 1 to the Arizona Cardinals, 26-14, which made Sunday’s game of the utmost importance.

Instead, Week 2 took on a feeling of déjà vu for them. While they took a 14-10 lead in the third quarter, miscues and overall ineptitude resulted in another 26-14 loss for them, this time to their longtime AFC West rivals.

Each of the Chargers’ next seven opponents can be considered contenders, which has left Bolts fans in a state of panic, frustration and even capitulation.

There was, however, one man who played well for the team, and it was someone who was projected by some to have a big year.

Stud — Omarion Hampton

Hampton had an anemic Week 1 with 43 rushing yards on 12 attempts against Arizona. But this week, he looked more like the man he was at times last season when he had 545 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns in nine games.

He had a massive 23 carries against the Raiders, and while he wasn’t a lot more efficient than he was last week, he did total 94 yards and one touchdown on the ground. He also added two catches for 21 yards.

Unfortunately, Hampton had perhaps the costliest miscue of the day. As L.A. was looking to fight back from a 17-14 deficit with just under four minutes left in the fourth quarter, he fumbled the football. Nakobe Dean poked the ball loose, and it was recovered by Jeremy Chinn, who took it 43 yards in the opposite direction.

That set up a touchdown reception by Cody White that slammed the door on this game and possibly the season for L.A.

Dud — Justin Herbert

Justin Herbert was ineffective again, and he was arguably even worse than he was last week when he went 17 of 27 and had a late interception.

This time, he completed 15 of his 27 passing attempts, had one touchdown pass and two interceptions. Again, he threw an interception late in the fourth quarter that thwarted a last-ditch effort by the Chargers to make a comeback in the waning minutes.

Herbert was also sacked three times, just as he was in Week 1, and he had multiple fumbles as well. This is a man whom some expected to throw for 5,000 yards this season, or at least flirt with that milestone.

Dud — Ladd McConkey

McConkey was questionable coming into this game with a rib injury he suffered in Week 1. He suited up and took the field, but Los Angeles needed a lot more from him.

He had a pedestrian three catches for 35 yards. Last week, he was in his bag with five catches for 82 yards and one touchdown before exiting the game with his rib ailment.

Dud — Quentin Johnston

This was a game where Johnston needed to step up, and he didn’t.

He was targeted five times but came up with just one catch for seven yards, and he dropped multiple passes. Overall, the 2023 first-round draft pick continues to be a disappointment.

Dud — Tuli Tuipulotu

Where was the pressure on Raiders quarterback Kirk Cousins, a man who threw two interceptions last week against the Miami Dolphins, one of the NFL’s worst defenses, and has close to zero mobility?

Tuipulotu, who made his first Pro Bowl last year, had a grand total of one combined tackle and one quarterback hit. As disjointed as the Chargers’ offense was on Sunday, they needed to step up on defense, and their defense simply left too much to be desired.

Dud — Cameron Dicker

Dicker came into this game as the NFL’s all-time leader in career field-goal accuracy at 93.5%. But he missed a 58-yard field goal with 11:44 to go in the first quarter, and it seemed to set the tone for this game.

Dud — Joe Alt

The Chargers’ starting right tackle may have managed to prevent Raiders edge rusher Maxx Crosby from going crazy, but he was responsible for several of the team’s miscues.

He was called for three false start penalties, and then, with less than two minutes to go in the fourth quarter, he had an unpardonable sin. Alt was called for a holding penalty in the Chargers’ own end zone, which resulted in a safety and two points for Las Vegas.