LAS VEGAS — Derek Carr found Davante Adams for a pair of third-quarter touchdowns as the Raiders rallied in the second half to beat the Los Angeles Chargers 27-20 on Sunday at Allegiant Stadium.
It was the third straight victory for the Raiders (5-7), who showed an active defensive line for, coincidentally, the third straight game.
They also got clutch plays, defensively and offensively
“This is good, yeah,” said Carr, who completed 16 of 30 passes for 250 yards. “The character was on full display today, watching our guys bounce back … to see everyone keep playing, keep believing.”
Adams had eight receptions for 177 yards, including TD grabs of 31 and 45 yards as the Raiders turned a 13-10 halftime deficit into a 24-13 lead.
Josh Jacobs continued to be a force, rushing for 144 yards on 26 carries, including a 20-yard scoring burst in the second quarter. Jacobs has 1,303 yards, the most in franchise history through 12 games.
“He’s unbelievable,” said Carr of Jacobs. “I’ve always said he’s one of the best in the NFL.”
The offense got superb support from a defense that sacked Justin Herbert five times as the Raiders split their season series with the Chargers.
The loss was a significant setback for the Chargers (6-6), who are just outside the playoff picture.
Los Angeles led 10-0 early in the second quarter before the Raiders charged back.
Carr’s 31-yarder to Adams early in the third quarter gave the Raiders the lead for good at 17-13. Less than four minutes later, the duo hooked up on a 45-yard flea flicker for another score.
Adams’ productive performance allowed him to surpassing 1,000 yards receiving for the fourth time since 2018. He also has 85 career touchdown catches, surpassing Calvin Johnson for fifth most for a receiver in his first nine seasons.
Herbert was under pressure from the Raiders’ defense throughout. Chandler Jones entered the game with just a half-sack, but the defensive end recorded three in the first half alone. He also tackled Herbert a yard short of the first down on a fourth and 2 in the first quarter.
But Herbert, who completed 28 of 47 passes for 335 yards for this 20th career 300-yard game, nearly rallied the Chargers in the fourth quarter.
On fourth and 10, he rolled right and fired a 35-yard touchdown pass to Keenan Allen with 8:34 left. It was Allen’s 50th career TD reception.
Raiders cornerback Amik Robertson played tight coverage on Allen, who told the Los Angeles Times last week that the Raiders defensive backs would be “barbecued chicken” if they played single coverage on him. Robertson was on single coverage on Allen on the next Chargers drive as Los Angeles trailed by seven points and he pulled down Allen on a third and 10 that didn’t draw a flag. Instead of a first down, the Chargers faced a fourth down, and failed to convert.
Allen, who caught six passes for 88 yards, missed the last seven games with a hamstring injury.
The Chargers took a 10-0 lead early in the second quarter when Asante Samuel tipped a pass that fellow cornerback Bryce Callahan intercepted and returned 26 yards for a touchdown. It was Los Angeles’ fourth interception of Carr this season. The rest of the league has a combined four against him.
Jacobs’ 20-yard touchdown run and Daniel Carlson’s 55-yard field goal brought the Raiders even, but Cameron Dicker’s 34-yard field goal with 27 seconds left gave the Chargers a 13-10 halftime lead.
The Raiders return to play Thursday against the Los Angeles Rams (3-9) at SoFi Stadium in a nationally televised game.