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LAS VEGAS — There were no Champagne bottles handed out after the Chargers clinched the fifth seed for the AFC playoffs with a 34-20 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday afternoon. Music thumped through the locker room, of course, because that’s standard operating procedure after a victory.
Apparently, the celebrations can wait.
Clearly, the Chargers’ work isn’t done.
The Chargers (11-6) handled their business against the Raiders (4-13), booking a wild-card date with the fourth-seeded Texans (10-7) on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. PT in Houston. The Chargers’ victory coupled with the Cincinnati Bengals’ 19-17 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday night vaulted them into fifth.
Remaining as the sixth-seeded team would have set up Harbaugh Bowl IV, pitting Jim and the Chargers against brother John and the third-seeded Baltimore Ravens. So, maybe the Chargers’ next assignment before returning to their El Segundo HQ was to write thank-you notes to the Bengals.
“It’s the start of a new season,” Jim Harbaugh said. “I’m really proud of the way the team played, starting with the quarterback. I can’t say, ‘unbelievable’ because I believe it because I see it every day. There were throws he was making, I mean, 15-yard throws, 30-yard throws, 45-yard throws that were like handoffs. They were right where you would put it if you were handing the ball off on a running play.
“Just incredible.”
Indeed.
Quarterback Justin Herbert completed 28 of 36 passes for 346 yards with touchdown throws of 6 yards to wide receiver DJ Chark Jr. and 2 yards to tight end Will Dissly. Wide receiver Quentin Johnston set career highs with 13 receptions on 14 targets from Herbert for 186 yards.
“You’ve got to feed the hot hand,” Herbert said of his connection with Johnston. “He’s the guy who went out and made a bunch of plays. We’ve seen that all year. He’s playing the right football at the right time. He’s confident. He’s having fun. You can tell he’s feeling it. You’ve got to get him the ball.”
The Chargers’ play in the first half was, in a word, uninspired.
Cameron Dicker kicked three field goals and they trailed the Raiders 10-9 with mere seconds to go. Dicker had missed a 51-yard field goal attempt. Joey Bosa was penalized for lining up in the neutral zone on consecutive plays. Trey Pipkins III was whistled for holding, nullifying a Derius Davis touchdown catch.
Suddenly, in a nanosecond, the Chargers’ fortunes changed.
Linebacker Daiyan Henley intercepted an errant pass from Raiders quarterback Aiden O’Connell at the Las Vegas 35-yard line with 38 seconds left in the half. Presented with a gift, Herbert connected with Chark on a 6-yard touchdown and then with Ladd McConkey on a two-point conversion.
It took only 28 seconds for the Chargers to alter the momentum, taking a 17-10 lead into halftime. Herbert completed 18 of 25 passes for 225 yards and one touchdown. Chark’s first touchdown catch of the season sent Chargers fans among the crowd of 61,352 into a frenzy.
Herbert’s two-point conversion pass to McConkey only heightened the energy in the stadium. McConkey celebrated by throwing the ball deep into the stands and toward a group of fans dressed in powder blue and gold. The sequence seemed just the thing to snap the Chargers to attention.
“When we got that pick, it sent a surge of energy because at the time we were a little down,” Henley said. “We, as a defense, knew we wanted to leave with points on the board (to end the half), whether that was us or giving the ball back to our offense. That play gave us an opportunity.
“You can see what Justin Herbert does with the ball in his hands.”
Daniel Carlson kicked a 40-yard field goal and O’Connell threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Jakobi Meyers for the Raiders’ first-half scores. The Chargers countered with Dicker’s field goals from 33, 32 and 49, the last of which cut their deficit to 10-9 with 1:05 remaining in the half.
The Chargers increased their lead to 20-10 on Dicker’s 20-yard field goal, capping a 13-play, 69-yard drive that took 7:50 off the clock to start the third quarter. Carlson then cut the Chargers’ lead to 20-13 with a 47-yard field goal with 2:15 remaining in the third quarter.
Herbert set up his 2-yard touchdown pass to Dissly with a career-long 41-yard scramble to the Raiders’ 4-yard line on the first play of the fourth quarter. At that moment, the Chargers’ 27-13 lead seemed to be a commanding advantage, but there was still 13:32 to be played.
Hassan Haskins’ 2-yard touchdown run accounted for the Chargers’ final score.
The Raiders made it 34-20 on O’Connell’s late TD pass to Brock Bowers.
Originally Published:
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