While the Las Vegas Raiders got thoroughly embarrassed in Week 5, the Raiders are still within striking distance of first place in the AFC West. The Kansas City Chiefs were on a bye this weekend, but let’s check in on the Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Chargers, who played each other on Sunday.
Broncos vs. Chargers
Score: 23-17 Broncos win
DEN Key Stats:
- QB Bo Nix: 16/27 (59.3%), 123 yards, 1 TD, 0 INTs, 4 rushes, 10 yards
- RB J.K. Dobbins: 18 carries, 68 yards, 1 TD
- TE Evan Engram: 4 catches, 55 yards
- S Brandon Jones: 4 tackles, 1 INT, 2 PDs
- ED Nik Bonitto: 4 tackles, 2 sacks, 3 TFLs
LAC Key Stats:
- QB Justin Herbert: 14/24 (), 121 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 6 rushes, 54 yards
- RB Kimani Vidal: 8 rushes, 57 yards, 1 TD
- TE Charlie Kolar: 3 catches, 37 yards
- DE Ahkeem Mesidor: 8 tackles, 1 sack
- CB Elijah Molden: 7 tackles
The only thing left to say about Los Angeles’ season is that the Chargers continue to Charger. Their roster is already beaten up, and they had a chance to win
this game with a 14-point third quarter. That gave the Bolts a lead heading into the final frame, only to see it disappear with a 13-0 fourth quarter from the Broncos. That puts Los Angeles at 0-5, leading to plenty of questions and potentially some major changes, especially with how poorly Herbert has played.
Meanwhile, Sean Payton took back Denver’s offensive play-calling duties after letting offensive coordinator Davis Webb have a run at it during the first month of the campaign. However, the results weren’t much different. The Broncos’ offense and Nix didn’t show much until the fourth quarter, when over half of their points came. The defense is still carrying the team, as both of the offense’s touchdowns came from short fields (40- and 41-yard drives) via a fumble recovery and a turnover on downs.
LAC next week: @ Chiefs
DEN next week: vs. Seahawks (TNF)
Standings
- Kansas City 4-0 (+41 point differential)
- Denver 3-2 (-14)
- Las Vegas 3-2 (+3)
- Los Angeles 0-5 (-45)
In Other Raiders’ Links:
- Marvin Harrison Jr. headed to Houston: The former Arizona Cardinals wide receiver was a potential target at the trade deadline for the Raiders, but the Houston Texans have reportedly agreed to send a second-round pick and swap a sixth for a seventh to get Harrison, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
- 16 things learned from loss: “At the end of the day, the fact that the Patriots were playing without four cornerbacks, including their stars, didn’t really matter,” S&BP’s Bill Williamson wrote. “But Raiders’ star tight end Brock Bowers had a big day. He had eight catches for 110 yards (his second 100-plus yard receiving effort in three games) and a score. He was a weapon on third down.”
- Officially on fraud watch:The internet reacts to the Silver and Black dropping their second game in a row.
- Recap Fernando Mendoza’s debut: The rookie finally got to play, and John m on X/Twitter compiled all of the No. 1 pick’s dropbacks.
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