Jacobs scores late, Raiders rally past Chargers
Josh Jacobs’ 18-yard touchdown run with 1:02 left Thursday night lifted the Oakland Raiders to a 26-24 win over the visiting Los Angeles Chargers. On third-and-1, Jacobs burst through a huge hole blown open by center Rodney Hudson and left guard Richie Incognito, then broke an arm tackle near the 10 for the score. Daniel Carlson missed the ensuing extrapoint attempt, but the Raiders hung on to improve to 5-4.
Los Angeles fell to 4-6, seriously damaging its playoff hopes.
Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers completed 17 of 31 passes for 207 yards and two touchdowns, including a 6-yard pass to Austin Ekeler with 4:02 remaining in the game for a 24-20 lead. But the Chargers’ final possession ended with a Karl Joseph interception at the Oakland 35 on a fourth-and-10 heave with 20 seconds left, Rivers’ third pick of the game.
Derek Carr hit on 21 of 31 passes for 218 yards with a touchdown for Oakland, which was outgained 315 yards to 278 and had the ball for only 25:50. However, the Raiders sacked Rivers five times and played a turnover-free game.
Melvin Gordon rushed 22 times for 108 yards and a score for Los Angeles, his first 100-yard game of the year.
Rivers came out of the gate in shaky fashion. Erik Harris intercepted him twice in the first nine minutes, the first one leading to a field goal and the second becoming a 56yard touchdown return for a 10-0 Oakland lead.
Los Angeles finally found footing on offense with two second-quarter touchdowns in a 4:10 span. Rivers flipped a 2-yard scoring strike to tight end Hunter Henry, and Gordon gave the Chargers a 14-10 lead on a 3-yard run with 4:14 left in the half.
The Raiders’ offense then put together its first good drive to close the half. Oakland marched 76 yards in 10 plays, taking a 17-14 halftime lead when Carr found Alec Ingold for a 9-yard touchdown pass with 20 seconds remaining.
The teams exchanged short field goals in the third quarter, setting the stage for a dramatic ending.