A birthday dud.
That’s what Pete Carroll and his Las Vegas Raiders provided in a Monday Night 20-9 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.
The Silver & Black’s head coach turned 74 and instead of an inspired victory from his football team, he ended up watching his coaching nemesis — Jim Harbaugh — lean on his defensive coordinator Jesse Minter to suffocate Chip Kelly’s Raiders offense as the Bolts zapped the Raiders under the primetime lights.
Minter’s Chargers defense rendered Raiders quarterback Geno Smith
supremely flummoxed and his group made plays on the ball to take the ball away as the veteran quarterback ended up with three interceptions to go along with absorbing a trio of sacks.
Kelly tried to be bold, as did Smith, but this go-around, within the friendly confines of Allegiant Stadium, the Raiders instead face planted. A resounding thud even.
It didn’t help that Las Vegas run game — which showed fleeting glimpses of slicing Los Angeles’ defense — was stymied throughout.
But all is not lost. Two weeks of the regular season are in the books and it’s a long road to Week 18.
There is a silver lining: For as ugly as that defeat was for Carroll and his Raiders, all those hideous warts on the football team being exposes for all to see in a Monday night game has the looks of a proper birthday present for the grizzled veteran head coach.
There’s no hiding or excusing the loss: Las Vegas wasn’t sound in all three phases of the game.
But even while the offense stubbed its toe numerous times, the Raiders defense flew around and played with the frenetic energy displayed by the head coach. While the final score makes it appear the Bolts electrocuted the Raiders, a better football team beats the Silver & Black drum to the tune of a three-touchdown advantage.
It’ll be curious to see how the Raiders respond after a defeat at the hands of an AFC West foe.
Let’s hit the quick slants as fast as Chargers linebacker Daiyan Henley took the ball away on the Raiders’ first drive. Along with how swiftly he dropped Smith on a fourth-down pass attempt in which he feigned coverage only to make a beeline towards Las Vegas’ quarterback:
—The trio of interceptions gives Smith a league-leading four interceptions thrown through two games on the young 2025 season. He went 24 of 43 for 180 yards and added 20 yards on five scrambles. The Chargers weren’t going to allow the Raiders to beat them deep like the New England Patriots did in the season-opening loss to Las Vegas.
—Las Vegas tight end Brock Bowers — wearing a knee brace on his left knee — finished with five catches for 38 yards. A meager sum for the talented second-year sensation. Wide receiver Jakobi Meyers led Raiders receiving options with six catches for 68 yards (a long of 25).
—Veteran wide receiver Keenan Allen remains a thorn in the Raiders side. He caught five passes from Herbert for 61 yards including a touchdown in which he took advantage of Las Vegas defense having its eyes on the QB. Fellow wideout Quentin Johnston has the biggest play of the evening: A 60-yard touchdown bomb from Herbert.
—Raiders defensive tackle Jonah Laulu was the lone defender to notch sacks against the Chargers with two. Laulu showcased the push from inside along with a nose for the ball as a run defender as he finished with four total tackles and three stops for loss (including three quarterback hits).
—Las Vegas defense limited Los Angeles offense to a 4-of-11 efficiency on third down and 1-of-3 the red zone. But far too often, Herbert was comfortable in the pocket and given ample time to move from first read to others without duress.
—Raiders prized rookie tailback Ashton Jeanty notched 11 totes for 43 yards (a long of 13 yards). Fellow rookie running back, the Chargers’ Omarion Hampton, fared much worse with eight carries for a meager 24 yards. In fact, quarterback Justin Herbert paced Los Angeles’ run game with 31 yards on nine carries.
Quote Of Note
“Took a shot to Dont’e before the half. I thought he had a safety on him, thought he had a chance — gave him a chance. Obviously it didn’t work out in our favor. So, again, those are things I gotta learn from and be better at. Anything that doesn’t look right out there, you can put that on my feet, put that on my shoulder. I know I have to be better for our guys — and I will be. The one to Jakobi, had a DB with his back turned, they were playing Tampa 2 (Cover 2), thought I could fit it in there. Obviously we need to score seven points in that situation. A field goal would’ve helped us but seven points would’ve put us in a better position. Ball gets tipped up again, thought I put it in a decent spot where our guy could make a play. Ball gets tipped up, and they make a play on it. And we don’t get points. I’m never going to make excuses about anything, I have to be better. We have to be better. And we have a short week to improve on it.”
—Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Geno Smith on of his passes getting intercepted“They covered us up pretty good. I’m anxious to see the film. I’m surprised that they did such a nice job on pass defense against us.”
—Las Vegas Raiders head coach Pete Carroll on the Los Angeles Chargers defense
Up Next
The Raiders (1-1) hit the road for another East Coast trip to face the Washington Commanders (1-1). The Commanders seek to rebound from a 27-18 thumping they took in Week 2 from the Green Bay Packers. Washington’s offense was limited to 230 total yards of offense while yielding 404 total yards to the Green Bay. Getting back in the win column is what both the Commanders and Raiders want to do next Sunday.
