The Chargers offense had a really good start to the game and a really good start to the second half of Sunday's game against the Raiders.
The rest of the time it was pretty bad, and despite another solid effort from the San Diego defense, the Bolts lost to Oakland 19-16 in what felt like a Raiders home game at Qualcomm Stadium.
68,352 fans showed up for the game, about 15,000 more than the previous home game against Tampa Bay, and every one of the additions was wearing silver and black.
The Bolts took the ball first and, as they have done multiple times this season, got in to the end zone. Philip Rivers lofted a 47-yard touchdown strike to Travis Benjamin for a quick 7-0 lead. But after that they mustered just a field goal for the rest of the half.
The Chargers defense got itself out of a couple of jams in the opening half. Twice the Raiders drive in to the Red Zone and twice they turned it over. First Latavius Murray lost a fumble ... then Derek Carr was picked off by Trovon Reed near the goal line. Reed also picked off a pass inside the five yard line a week ago in Charlotte.
But at the end of the half San Diego went soft and it cost them. Trying to make the Raider run the clock they instead allowed a 75 yard TD drive that took just 1:07 off the clock. Carr hit Michael Crabtree for a 13-yard TD and a 10-10 halftime score.
Oakland kicked a field goal to start the 3rd quarter and the Chargers offense got cranking again. Rivers hit Dontrelle Inman three times for 53 yards and finished the drive with a 7-yard TD pass to rookie tight end Hunter Henry. However, Josh Lambo missed the extra point try so the Bolts were up 16-13.
Local
In the 4th quarter the Chargers committed their first turnover of the afternoon when Kennth Farrow put the ball on the ground. Oakland recovered at the Chargers 13 yard line. A nice series by the San Diego defense forced another short field goal to tie it at 16-all.
The Raiders took the lead on Janikowski's 4th field goal of the day and with 2:40 to play the Chargers were down by three with a chance to put together a game-winning drive.
Isaiah Burse returned the kickoff to the 14 yard line, another bad special teams effort, to give the Chargers awful field position. In the movie biz that is known as "foreshadowing."
An incomplete pass, a sack, and ball batted at the line of scrimmage, and an interception and the game was over.
The Chargers fall to 5-9 on the year and the Oakland Raiders are going to the playoffs.
