Chargers new QB and coach combo leads winning Raiders

The Los Angeles Chargers found a new star quarterback last year, but didn’t have the right coach.

Now they seem to have rising stars at the two most important places in the NFL.

Last offseason, the Chargers hired Brandon Staley, the young and dynamic Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator last year. Across four games, this rental feels like a home run. It also helps that he can train Justin Herbert.

Herbert threw three touchdowns in the first half and Staley’s defense limited the Las Vegas Raiders to a first down before half time. In the second half, the Raiders had a run, but a few aggressive fourth down calls helped the Chargers to a big 28-14 victory.

Over the past few years, the Chargers have consistently lost games like Monday night, when they inexplicably fell apart. Things look different now.

The Chargers dominated in the first half

In the first half, Derek Carr and Jon Gruden were confused.

Before a third down in the first quarter, the Chargers had several defensemen standing near the line. Carr wasn’t ready for this look and needed to reset the protection, but he couldn’t do it until the playing time was up. He called time out. It embodied the first half. The Chargers figured out how to confuse the Raiders. They got to Carr early and the Raiders couldn’t figure out how to block the Los Angeles rushers. The Raiders were frustrated with halftime.

The Raiders looked like they were about to blow themselves up. When Herbert threw his third touchdown of the first half, on a nice touch to Austin Ekeler coming out of backfield, the Chargers were leading 21-0.

The Raiders rallied and made it a game in the second half, as the Chargers heard every Raider fan in their home stadium get loud. The Chargers’ most recent teams have reportedly folded. This one did not.

Chargers hold up late

The story continues

The Chargers went there twice near midfielder in the second half as some coaches reportedly kicked. Both games won the first down. The second time around, Herbert kind of passed Jared Cook for a first try in order to keep the drive alive. Later in possession, Ekeler scored on a run with 5:21 left. The Chargers refused to give a volley kick and give the Raiders more momentum, and regained control of the game. Derwin James got a nice interception after this touchdown from Ekeler to put the game on the sidelines.

Fourth-down assault is increasingly common in the NFL, but it’s not like the former Chargers coaching staff are known for their optimal decisions. Staley helped the defense – each of the Chargers’ opponents, including the Chiefs and Cowboys, had their worst offensive games this season against Staley’s defense – and he made some strong decisions on Monday night that led to an important victory .

And, again, it helps to have Herbert. The struggles of the 2021 rookie quarterbacks are a reminder that Herbert’s quick acclimatization to the NFL was special. You can go far in the NFL with the right coach-quarterback combination. Staley and Herbert have a lot to prove, but they’re not the same old Chargers.