Justin Herbert throws 2 TD passes, Chargers send rival Raiders to 6th straight loss, 31-14

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Justin Herbert threw two touchdown passes while playing through an injury to his non-throwing hand, and Kimani Vidal made a 59-yard scoring run during the Los Angeles Chargers’ 31-14 victory over the spiraling Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday.

Quentin Johnston and Ladd McConkey had TD catches and Vidal rushed for a career-high 126 yards for the Chargers (8-4), who snapped back from an embarrassing loss at Jacksonville for their fourth win in five games to keep pressure on the Denver Broncos atop the AFC West.

Jaret Patterson rushed for his first NFL touchdown since 2021 to ice the victory with 1:55 to play.

Los Angeles comfortably beat its longtime West Coast rivals for the fourth straight time, sweeping the season series and emphasizing the current gulf between the Bolts and the Raiders (2-10), who had less support in the SoFi Stadium crowd than in past seasons.

Herbert didn’t put up big numbers, but he injured a finger on his left hand during the Chargers’ first drive and briefly went to the locker room. He finished 15 of 20 for 151 yards, improving on his career-low 81 yards passing against the Jaguars despite throwing a goal-line interception in the second quarter.

Geno Smith passed for 165 yards and threw two touchdown passes to Brock Bowers in the sixth consecutive loss by the Raiders, who have just one victory since Week 1.

At least the Raiders’ long-struggling offense showed mild improvement in its first game under interim offensive coordinator Greg Olson after high-priced Chip Kelly was fired a week ago.

Las Vegas’ 82-yard TD drive in the second quarter was the offense’s longest in four weeks, and the Raiders topped 10 points for the fourth time in eight games when Bowers made a ridiculous one-handed TD grab with 7:49 to play.

But four-time Pro Bowl selection Maxx Crosby exemplified the Raiders’ comprehensive frustration when he inexplicably knocked Herbert to the ground at midfield several seconds after Herbert hit Johnston for a first down with 3:55 to play. The penalty handed 15 yards to the Bolts on a drive that ended in Patterson’s 2-yard score.

Tuli Tuipulotu had two of the Chargers’ five sacks while they limited the Raiders to 156 total yards, including just 31 on the ground.

Johnston fought through contact to score a 10-yard TD on the Chargers’ opening drive, but Herbert had injured his left hand one play earlier while being thrown to the ground by Jeremy Chinn.

Trey Lance began Los Angeles’ second drive under center while Herbert went to the locker room. Herbert returned during the drive and moved the Bolts to the Las Vegas 2 before throwing an interception to Kyu Blu Kelly, who got his third pick in four games.

Tony Jefferson got the ball back for LA with an acrobatic interception off a sideline tip, but the Raiders’ defense stopped the Chargers on downs in the red zone before Olson’s offense mounted its longest drive ending in Bowers’ TD catch 1:50 before halftime.

The Chargers went up 21-7 on McConkey’s 7-yard TD catch late in the third quarter.

Injuries

Raiders: WR Dont’e Thornton Jr. was ruled out with a concussion in the second half.

Chargers: Herbert finished the game with a glove on his left hand.

Up next

Raiders: Host Denver on Sunday.

Chargers: Host Philadelphia on Monday, Dec. 8.

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