Raiders pull off road upset vs. Chargers, earn first 2-0 start in 5 years

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — The Las Vegas Raiders rebounded from an early miscue to defeat the Los Angeles Chargers 26‑14 at SoFi Stadium, securing their first 2‑0 start since the 2021 playoff season. With the Chargers facing a fourth‑and‑1 at midfield and 3:52 remaining, the Raiders held a 17‑14 lead. After coming out of a timeout with 12 men on the field, Las Vegas inadvertently gave Los Angeles a first down. On the ensuing play, Nakobe Dean forced a fumble by Omarion Hampton, and Jeremy Chinn recovered the ball, returning it to the Chargers’ 16‑yard line. Three plays later, practice‑squad addition Cody White hauled in a pass from Kirk Cousins following a play‑fake, sprinting into the end zone for his second touchdown of the game. Cousins finished the contest with 253 passing yards and three touchdowns, while the Raiders managed only 57 yards on the ground. Las Vegas seized the lead with 3:49 left in the third quarter when White hauled in an acrobatic 13‑yard touchdown toss from Cousins. The score came after Justin Herbert had earlier given the Chargers their first lead of the night, connecting with Oronde Gadsden on a 10‑yard scoring strike to open the second half. The Raiders had taken a 10‑7 advantage into halftime after a first half that proved far more eventful than the score indicated. Cousins connected with Tre Tucker for a 40‑yard touchdown and later found Tucker again on a 42‑yard completion that set up a field goal just before the break. Las Vegas saw a pass intercepted in Chargers territory after Tucker slipped, and they were turned away on a fourth‑and‑goal from the 1‑yard line when a straight draw to Ashton Jeanty failed to produce a score; Jeanty had four attempts from inside the 5‑yard line without success. Los Angeles also struggled, missing a 58‑yard field goal attempt that hit the upright and losing a Herbert pass when an open David Njoku bobbed the ball into the hands of Raiders rookie Hezekiah Masses. Masses, a fifth‑round selection, recorded his second interception in the final minutes to clinch the victory, becoming the first Raiders rookie since Henry Williams in 1979 to tally multiple interceptions in a single game. Maxx Crosby was flagged for a holding penalty in the end zone during the closing moments.