Photo Gallery: Chargers at Raiders | More Photos
The Raiders struck first, as Sebastian Janikowski showed off his strong leg, drilling a 51-yard field goal midway through the first quarter. Undeterred,
In the second quarter, Raiders long snapper Jon Condo suffered a head injury and was forced to miss the rest of the game. The result was an inexperienced backup, Travis Goethel, handling the duties. Sure enough, he skipped two snaps in the second half that led to fantastic field position for the Bolts. Both times the Chargers converted those mistakes into field goals. On Goethel’s lone perfect snap, Rosario burst through the line of scrimmage to block the punt attempt, setting up another San Diego field goal.
With some breathing room, new defensive coordinator John Pagano’s unit turned up the heat, recording three sacks (two by
Turning Point
On 3rd-and-9 from the Raiders 41-yard line, the Chargers were on the cusp of field goal range. Needing to gain a chunk of yards, Malcom Floyd spun his defender around and ran a beautiful route up the left sideline for a 25-yard catch. The play put the team in field goal range, and sure enough, four plays later Kaeding converted his fifth field goal of the evening to give the Chargers a potent 16-point lead.
It Was Over When…
Down by eight points with 54 seconds left, the Raiders were forced to try for an onsides kick. Sebastian Janikowski laid the ball flat on the ground and kicked it off towards his left. After taking a short hop,
Play of the Game
Faced with a 3rd-and-goal from the six, Philip Rivers was under duress. Stepping up in the pocket, he found Malcom Floyd, who improvised after finishing his route by cutting back sharply to his left. Number 80 cradled in the ball and celebrated by dunking through the uprights as the Chargers scored their first touchdown of the season.
Stat of the Game
The Chargers won the turnover battle by forcing four fumbles, including two on fourth down, while committing none on offense.
Bolt Quotebook
“I thought our defense played awfully well. We created negative plays, which is something we emphasized. Obviously we were outstanding on special teams and took advantage of the situation the Raiders were in. And then offensively, I thought Philip did a great job of managing the game. We had one sack early, and we had no turnovers.” – Head Coach Norv Turner
“(This win) is huge. We talked all offseason about winning division games, and we had an opportunity on the road. Certainly all three phases contributed, and it was great to win. ”-Quarterback Philip Rivers
“It was massive to get this win. We put a ton of work in for this game all through training camp for the whole season, and it starts with this first game.” – Center
“The lane opened up, I came free, and I just prayed to God I didn’t miss as I went for it!” – Tight End Dante Rosario
“Getting the sack is always huge, but I always thank the secondary for my sacks. If they aren’t covering, I can’t get to the quarterback.” – Linebacker Shaun Phillips
Odds and Ends
The Chargers won for the 15th time in 18 games against the Raiders.
Dante Rosario’s blocked punt was the Chargers first since October 25, 2009 when Jacob Hester did it against Kansas City.
Philip Rivers finished the game completing 24 of 33 passes for 231 yards and one touchdown, which added up to a passer rating of 102.0. He spread the ball around to seven different receivers.
Nate Kaeding tied a career-high with five field goals.
Inactive for the Chargers tonight were
Changes in the starting lineup were
