“We knew that once we hit him a few times he was really shaken up”

The Los Angeles Chargers defense rocked the Las Vegas Raiders early, now Derek Carr and the offense to just 51 total yards and a first down on seven possessions in the first half. Then LA resisted a comeback by gobbling up Vegas in the fourth quarter, forcing a failed field goal and an interception in the 28-14 win.

All-star pass thrower Joey Bosa said the key to slowing down a powerful Raiders offense is to flatten Carr.

“We knew once we hit him a few times he was really rocked,” Carr said, via Daniel Popper of The Athletic. “And you saw on (Christian Covington’s) sack he was pretty much curled up before we even got back in there. Great guy, great player.… But we know that once you put the pressure on him it sort of stops. “

The Chargers sacked Carr four times and had seven QB hits.

LA invaded Carr early, securing two sacks in the first half, including Bosa’s QB-strip that ended their second possession. Christian Covington, Kyler Fackrell and Jerry Tillery also sat the Raiders quarterback.

Carr only generated 196 passing yards (84.9 passes) in Week 4 after averaging 401 YPG passes (most in the NFL) with a 101.4 passer rating in Week 1 to 3.

Almost all QBs wither under pressure – have you ever heard of Tom Brady and internal pressure? Carr is no different. And with the Raiders insisting on establishing Josh Jacobs and the run early, the Vegas offense was a mess against an excellent defense from the Chargers.

Carr appeared to be shaken at times on Monday night, throwing several bullets behind targets. But the idea that the pressure cooked Carr completely isn’t supported by the other three games this season in which he was hit six times, five times and nine times, respectively, and still managed to make plays. to bring his team to 3- 0. He couldn’t conjure the magic Monday night against that defense.

Including Monday’s four sacks, the Raiders’ QB has been eliminated 12 times this season, tied for third in the NFL.

Bosa and the Chargers have proven why they are one of the NFL’s best defenses in Coach Brandon Staley’s system. The front end and the rear end complement each other perfectly. When the race is on, the front can dominate (Tillery was great for long periods of MNF) and wreak havoc in the backfield. When the rush slows down, the background is a sticky threat. And when they work together, playing with lead, the whole thing sometimes seems waterproof.