{"id":231014,"date":"2025-09-16T09:27:16","date_gmt":"2025-09-16T09:27:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/231014\/"},"modified":"2025-09-16T09:27:16","modified_gmt":"2025-09-16T09:27:16","slug":"chargers-masterful-defensive-performance-carries-them-past-raiders","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/231014\/","title":{"rendered":"Chargers&#8217; masterful defensive performance carries them past Raiders"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>LAS VEGAS\u00a0\u2014\u00a0Welcome to Allegiant Stadium.<\/p>\n<p>Remember to tip your Raiders.<\/p>\n<p>The <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/sports\/chargers\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Chargers<\/a> didn\u2019t forget. They were the most generous tippers in town Monday night, with eight different players swatting away a total of 15 passes and intercepting three more in a <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/static.www.nfl.com\/image\/upload\/v1758000268\/gamecenter\/f665e122-311e-11f0-b670-ae1250fadad1.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">20-9<\/a> victory over their AFC West rivals.<\/p>\n<p>           <video playsinline=\"playsinline\" loop=\"\" preload=\"none\" title=\"Chargers put on a Vegas defensive show in victory over Raiders\" data-video-id=\"00000199-51a2-d183-a19f-dfe275130000\">               <\/video>               <img class=\"image\" alt=\"\"   width=\"473\" height=\"840\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/1758014834_105_\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\"\/>             <\/p>\n<ul data-element=\"action-bar-menu\" class=\"flex gap-2 list-none  absolute w-full h-10 top-0\">\n<li data-element=\"action-bar-share\" class=\"flex  w-full h-10 top-0 lg:items-center lg:justify-center \">\n<p> Share via     Close extra sharing options  <\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"video-enhancement-title\">The Chargers showcase their stellar defense in a 20-9 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium on Monday night.<\/p>\n<p>It was a defensive masterpiece, one accomplished without star edge rusher <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/sports\/chargers\/story\/2025-06-12\/khalil-mack-why-hes-back-with-chargers\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Khalil Mack<\/a>, whose arm was crunched on a tackle, and with linebacker <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/sports\/chargers\/story\/2023-08-06\/nfl-chargers-daiyan-henley-dad-hip-hop-uncovered-big-u\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Daiyan Henley<\/a> \u2014 who at times appeared launched from a Circus Circus cannon \u2014 on the mend from a nasty stomach bug.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAt times it felt like there were more than 11 out there, especially in the secondary,\u201d <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/sports\/chargers\/story\/2025-09-12\/jim-harbaugh-on-his-time-with-raiders\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh<\/a> said.<\/p>\n<p>Sometimes, a number is more than a number. For example, the Chargers are 2-0, but they\u2019re even better than that because those two wins came against division opponents, counting the season-opening victory over Kansas City. The Chargers play their home opener Sunday against Denver with a chance to run the table on their first three of six division games.<\/p>\n<p>Whereas quarterback <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/sports\/chargers\/story\/2025-09-15\/justin-herbert-chargers-receivers-quentin-johnston\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Justin Herbert<\/a> was in the spotlight in the win over the Chiefs, Monday\u2019s game belonged to the defense \u2014 starting with Henley\u2019s interception on the first play from scrimmage. He plucked a carom after teammate Alohi Gilman broke up Geno Smith\u2019s first pass.<\/p>\n<p>It was as if the supercharged stadium sprung a hissing leak.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s deflating, bro,\u201d Chargers safety <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/sports\/chargers\/story\/2025-01-08\/chargers-injury-decimated-secondary-derwin-james-jr-savior\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Derwin James<\/a> said. \u201cIt\u2019s deflating to their coordinator \u2014 you\u2019ve got your first 15 [plays] drawn up and the first play\u2019s a pick? Very deflating.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The play had the opposite effect on Henley, who felt so bad before the game his status was downgraded to questionable. He finished with a game-high 10 tackles and a sack.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSaying I felt like crap is an understatement,\u201d he said. \u201cIt 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.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>            <img class=\"image\" alt=\"Chargers linebacker Daiyan Henley celebrates after sacking Raiders quarterback Geno Smith.\"   width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/1758014835_233_\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\"\/>         <\/p>\n<p>Chargers linebacker Daiyan Henley celebrates after sacking Raiders quarterback Geno Smith in the fourth quarter on Monday night.<\/p>\n<p>(Sean M. Haffey \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/sports\/chargers\/story\/2024-12-06\/chargers-scout-team-key-afc-west-game-chiefs\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Tony Jefferson<\/a> had an interception for the Chargers at the end of the first half, and <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/sports\/chargers\/story\/2025-03-10\/khalil-mack-agrees-to-one-year-deal-with-chargers\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Donte Jackson<\/a> had one in the end zone near game\u2019s end.<\/p>\n<p>Raiders quarterback <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nfl.com\/players\/geno-smith\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Geno Smith<\/a> was 0 for 11 on passes thrown 10 or more yards downfield, the second-most attempts without a completion since ESPN began tracking the statistic in 2006.<\/p>\n<p>Harbaugh heaped praise on James, calling him \u201cthe best safety I\u2019ve ever seen in the history of the National Football League\u201d and \u201cSuperman.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe was playing at the line of scrimmage, intermediate, deep half, blitzing off the edge,\u201d the coach said. \u201cHe can play nickel, dime backer, corner \u2014 he\u2019s a five-tool, maybe six-tool player. You\u2019d have to compare him to Willie Mays.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Raiders generated 218 yards of offense, 171 fewer than their performance at New England the week before.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat that really feels like is a real missed opportunity just in general,\u201d <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/sports\/story\/2025-04-06\/raiders-coach-pete-carroll-students-usc-professor\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Raiders coach Pete Carroll<\/a> said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe didn\u2019t play well enough on the offensive side with the turnovers that add up. &#8230; They covered us up pretty good. I\u2019m anxious to see the film.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That won\u2019t be the feel-good movie of the summer.<\/p>\n<p>The Chargers, meanwhile, spiraled in all the right ways. Herbert threw a laser to Keenan Allen in the back of the end zone, and a pristine rainbow to <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/sports\/chargers\/story\/2025-07-20\/quentin-johnston-chargers-mike-williams-receivers\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Quentin Johnston<\/a> for a 60-yard touchdown. He spun his passes with mechanical precision.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe guy is exactly what we thought he was for a long time now,\u201d Henley said of Herbert. \u201cHe\u2019s 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.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>If this was a yardstick game, the visitors measured up and the Raiders took a ruler-rap across the knuckles, losing to the Chargers for the fourth time in the past five meetings.<\/p>\n<p>Allegiant Stadium crackled with energy for this opener, with Raiders minority owner Tom Brady wearing headphones in the coaches\u2019 box, Lil Jon performing at halftime, and two football rockstars roaming the sidelines \u2014 Harbaugh and Carroll \u2014 longstanding rivals since their days at Stanford and USC, and San Francisco and Seattle.<\/p>\n<p>Carroll became the first person to coach an NFL game at age 74, and youthful as he is, the game had to sap his spirit a bit. The Chargers were in control throughout.<\/p>\n<p>            <img class=\"image\" alt=\"Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh and Raiders coach Pete Carroll shake hands after the Chargers' win Monday.\"   width=\"2000\" height=\"1554\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/1758014836_410_\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\"\/>         <\/p>\n<p>Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh and Raiders coach Pete Carroll shake hands after the Chargers\u2019 win Monday.<\/p>\n<p>(Sean M. Haffey \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n<p>Both teams are breaking in first-round running backs, rookies <a class=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/sports\/chargers\/story\/2025-04-24\/chargers-draft-round-1-omarion-hampton\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Omarion Hampton<\/a> of the Chargers and Ashton Jeanty of the Raiders. Each made some impressive plays, yet neither was a true game-changer. Hampton absorbed a hit from Maxx Crosby and lost the ball on an exchange when the Chargers were trying to put the game on ice.<\/p>\n<p>In the second half, the Raiders had a 19-play, 11-minute drive that resulted in a field goal, the crowd booing in frustration as the kicking unit ran onto the field. Like winning $5 on a $100 bet.<\/p>\n<p>Two NFL teams have not allowed a first-half touchdown this young season: Green Bay and the Chargers.<\/p>\n<p>Brady, a Fox NFL analyst on Sundays, was able to catch his team after working the Philadelphia-Kansas City game the night before.<\/p>\n<p>He came a fairly long way, and his franchise has a fairly long way to go.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"LAS VEGAS\u00a0\u2014\u00a0Welcome to Allegiant Stadium. Remember to tip your Raiders. The Chargers didn\u2019t forget. They were the most&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":231015,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5123],"tags":[124537,1582,276,7151,124539,103424,124538,78357,29334,2961,535,224,5337,17946,73732,50909,51379,64464,3007,6620],"class_list":{"0":"post-231014","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-los-angeles","8":"tag-brilliant-game","9":"tag-ca","10":"tag-california","11":"tag-chargers","12":"tag-desperation-deep-ball","13":"tag-end-zone","14":"tag-first-half","15":"tag-halftime","16":"tag-justin-herbert","17":"tag-la","18":"tag-las-vegas-raiders","19":"tag-los-angeles","20":"tag-losangeles","21":"tag-pass","22":"tag-pete-carroll","23":"tag-raiders","24":"tag-second-half","25":"tag-sideline","26":"tag-team","27":"tag-time"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115213267543074177","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/231014","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=231014"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/231014\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/231015"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=231014"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=231014"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=231014"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}