The Raiders in 2016 are proving to be resilient and opportunistic.
On Sunday at the Coliseum, Oakland beat the mistake-prone San Diego Chargers, 34-31, to improve to 4-1 and move into a share of the lead in the AFC West.
It’s the first time Oakland has started the season 4-1 since 2002, also the last season the team made the postseason.
The Chargers moved into position to tie the game at 34-all with two minutes remaining, but the snap was mishandled on a field-goal attempt. The Raiders recovered and ran the clock down to 20 seconds before punting the ball away. San Diego could run one play from its own 21 with 11 seconds left, and it went nowhere, sealing the Raiders' win.
The Raiders trailed at halftime 10-9 and had trouble finding their rhythm on offense until the third quarter.
They cut the deficit to 17-16 on a 64-yard touchdown pass from Derek Carr to Amari Cooper, but the Chargers answered with a touchdown pass from Philip Rivers to Hunter Henry. After Sebastian Janikowski made a 48-yard field goal to make it 24-19 San Diego, the Raiders then made their biggest play of the game.
The Raiders recovered a fumble by the Chargers’ Melvin Gordon in good field position, then gambled on fourth-and-3 at the San Diego 21, deciding to bypass a field goal. Carr then hit Michael Crabtree in the end zone for a touchdown. They followed it up by going for two, converting on a pass to Cooper. That gave Oakland a 27-24 lead late in the third quarter that they would never relinquish.
Sports
The Raiders took advantage of four San Diego turnovers and the muffed field-goal attempt, while turning the ball over just once.
Carr completed 25-of-40 throws for 317 yards and two scores, with Cooper catching six passes for 138 yards. Rookie running back Jalen Richard rushed for 31 yards and added 66 yards in receptions.
Oakland will host the Kansas City Chiefs next Sunday at 1:05 p.m.
