By Jeremy Gonzalez, Sports Editor
Oakland, Calif.
A late rally and a Phillip Rivers interception helped the Oakland Raiders beat the Los Angeles Chargers 26-24 on Thursday night in perhaps the final primetime game hosted by the Oakland Coliseum.
Raiders quarterback Derek Carr led his team down the field 75 yards after Rivers threw a six-yard touchdown pass to running back Austin Ekeler that gave the Chargers a 24-20 lead with 4:02 remaining.
Carr threw five passes to two different targets before handing the ball off to running back Josh Jacobs who scored his seventh touchdown this season on an 18-yard run with 1:02 remaining.
However, late drama occurred once again as Raiders kicker Daniel Carlson missed the extra point, giving the Chargers a chance to go down field and possibly kick a field goal to win the game. A holding call on fourth down extended the drive for the Chargers and gave them a new set of downs, but safety Karl Joseph sealed the game when he intercepted a down-field pass from Rivers on fourth down.
Rivers has had some fantastic performances in Oakland, but this was not one of those performances. He threw two interceptions in his first five passes, and threw a third one on his final pass. And one of those interceptions was returned for a touchdown by Raiders safety Erik Harris, giving Oakland an early 10-0 lead. Two more picks were wiped out because of penalties by the Raiders.
Chargers running back Melvin Gordon finally bounced back from mediocre performances in the last few games, gaining 108 yards on 22 carries with one touchdown. Him and Ekeler finally provided some consistency in the run game to allow Rivers to develop the passing game.
INJURIES
What else is new for the Chargers? Left tackle Russell Okung left in the first quarter with a groin injury and did not return. Defensive end Melvin Ingram went down with a shoulder injury in the final moments of the first half but returned to the game in the second half.
WILD, WILD WEST
The AFC West playoff picture is still a blur with lots of football left to be played, but the Chargers playoff hopes took a major hit when they loss to the Raiders in this Week 10 matchup. The Chargers moved down to 4-6 on the season while the Raiders moved to 5-4. Oakland currently sits in second place, above the Chargers in the AFC West standings.
Kansas City still holds a firm grip on first place with a 6-3 record, but with multiple divisional matchups in the final stretch of the season, it will be interesting for all three teams. Of the six games remaining on the schedule for the Chargers, four of those come against AFC West opponents and two of those are against the first-place Chiefs. The divisional title and a wild card berth could tilt in various directions, but Los Angeles cannot afford to lose any more ground.
UP NEXT
Chargers: The first matchup against Kansas City comes next week on primetime, as the Chargers host the Chiefs on Monday Night Football in Mexico City. The Chiefs are facing the Tennessee Titans on the road this week with NFL reigning MVP Patrick Mahomes returning from injury before traveling to Mexico City for the Monday night matchup.
Raiders: Oakland will host the winless Cincinnati Bengals in Week 11. The Bengals are coming off a 49-13 loss against the Baltimore Ravens where MVP candidate Lamar Jackson threw for three touchdowns and finished with a perfect passer rating of 158.3.
