The San Diego Chargers dropped their second AFC West match of the season falling to the Oakland Raiders 34-31.
Stat of the Game:
Philip Rivers passed Johnny Unitas and Warren Moon for ninth-most career passing touchdowns (292) in NFL history.
Play of the Game:
On the fourth play of the entire game, Brandon Mebane notched his first-career NFL interception. He sniffed out a screen play and picked off Derek Carr. His five-yard return set his offense up at the Oakland 30.
Turning Point:
Up five in the third quarter, on second down, Melvin Gordon took the handoff but fumbled the ball. Karl Joseph recovered for the home team. The turnover ended up in points for Oakland as they had a short field to work on but converted a 4th-and-2 via a Derek Carr to Michael Crabtree touchdown.
It Was Over When:
Attempting to surmount a comeback to tie the game with a field goal, Drew Kaser fumbled the snap and the Raiders fell on the ball to give possession back to the home team. While the Chargers did get the ball back with 10 seconds left, they couldn't muster a big enough play to get down in field goal position and the clock ran out.
Bolt Quotebook
"Just when you think you've seen it all, something like that happens. We had too many turnovers throughout the game and critical mistakes at critical times once again." – Head Coach Mike McCoy
"It's very frustrating. It happened all last season with us losing close games. It's starting all over again but we have to change it. It's frustrating, but we can't let it beat us." – RB Melvin Gordon
"We're 1-4 and we have to go find a way to win a game…. Everything is still out there. I sound like a broken record, but it is. (We have to) carry on, it's the only way I know."* – QB Philip Rivers*
"It was a lot leading up to this moment and a lot of eyes on me. But, I was happy with how I played out there. But if we're not winning, it's a loss for me." – DE Joey Bosa
Odds and Ends
The Chargers outgained the Raiders in 423-389 in total yardage. The Chargers held a 351-300 advantage through the air while the Raiders had the edge on the ground, 89-72.
Travis Benjamin led the receivers in receptions (seven) and tied Tyrell Williams in yardage, with 117 each.
Casey Hayward led the defense with eight total tackles. The Bolts had three sacks on the day with one coming from Jatavis Brown and two from Joey Bosa.
Corey Liuget served as an honorary captain.
Inactives for the Chargers include Brandon Flowers, Jahleel Addae, Max Tuerk, Joe Barksdale, Denzel Perryman, Nick Dzubnar and Asante Cleveland.
