There is no longer an undefeated team in the AFC.

The Los Angeles Chargers made sure of it by defeating the Las Vegas Raiders 28-14 in Monday's AFC West showdown at SoFi Stadium. Justin Herbert and Austin Ekeler led the way for the victors, who improved to 3-1 on the season and moved into a tie with the Raiders and Denver Broncos atop a loaded division that features four playoff contenders.

An early second-half turnaround from Derek Carr wasn't enough to preserve Las Vegas' undefeated mark.

Notable Player Stats

• Justin Herbert, QB, LAC: 25-of-38 passing for 222 yards, 3 TDs, 0 INTs
• Austin Ekeler, RB, LAC: 15 carries for 117 yards, 1 TD; 3 catches for 28 yards, 1 TD
• Jared Cook, TE, LAC: 6 catches for 70 yards, 1 TD
• Derek Carr, QB, LV: 21-of-34 passing for 196 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT
• Darren Waller, TE, LV: 4 catches for 50 yards, 1 TD

Quick Start, Strong Finish Propels Chargers to Victory

The Chargers have enough talent with Herbert leading the offense and the combination of Joey Bosa and Derwin James anchoring the defense to snap their playoff drought at two years, but these are the types of games they have to win in the division with the Kansas City Chiefs looming.

It looked like they knew that from the start.

Herbert directed three touchdown drives in the first half alone while spreading the ball around to wide receivers, tight ends and running backs. Eight different Chargers tallied a catch before halftime with Donald Parham Jr., Jared Cook and Ekeler hauling in the scores.

The first one ended a dominant 12-play drive to open the game, while the third one to Ekeler on a wheel route capped off a ruthlessly efficient two-minute drill and seemingly put the game away before intermission at 21-0.

While everything came easy in the first half, the Chargers actually faced some pressure after the Raiders finally settled in offensively and closed the gap to 21-14 heading into the fourth quarter.

Playoff-caliber teams respond to pressure, and Los Angeles did just that after starting the half with two straight punts. Head coach Brandon Staley used a refreshing amount of aggressiveness when going for the win and dialed up a key fourth-down conversion to Cook right at midfield to set up another Ekeler touchdown.

Ekeler continued to use his physicality while running between the tackles and speed in the open field to put the finishing touches on a key division win for the Chargers.

Raiders Fail to Overcome Abysmal Start

The Raiders were not on many preseason lists of obvious Super Bowl contenders, so Monday was an opportunity to prove themselves as legitimate threats on a national stage.

They must have missed the memo.

It's never a good sign when the best development of the entire first half for a team is a wide receiver hustling to break up a fake punt, but that was the case for Las Vegas. While it was an impressive play by Hunter Renfrow, it was also a lone bright spot with the offense picking up a single first down before intermission.

The Chargers defense overwhelmed the Raiders on every level while building a commanding lead. Bosa was a constant presence in Carr's face and notched a strip sack, while the secondary blanketed the receivers and the linebackers quickly plugged any running lanes for Josh Jacobs.

To Las Vegas' credit, it looked like an entirely different team coming out of the locker room and responded with two touchdown drives to give itself a chance in the final quarter.

Renfrow caught the first touchdown, while Darren Waller hauled in a jump ball for the second. Carr looked far more comfortable in the pocket as the offensive line provided better protection, although the momentum came to an end when a drive that featured a beautiful deep ball to Henry Ruggs III ended with a sack and missed Daniel Carlson field goal.

That was the last golden opportunity for the visitors, as the defense allowed another score and Carr threw an interception to James while attempting to make one final push. The deficit was simply too much to overcome against a fellow contender.

What's Next?

Both teams are home in Week 5 when the Chargers face the Cleveland Browns, and the Raiders play the Chicago Bears.