https://chargerswire.usatoday.com/2022/01/09/los-angeles-chargers-las-vegas-raiders-recap-week-18-nfl/

Everything we know about Chargers' heartbreaking loss to Raiders
Gavino Borquez

January 9, 2022
9:44 pm PT

The Chargers lost to the Raiders on Sunday night in one of the most
thrilling football games in recent memory.

To recap Week 18, here is everything we know:

It was over when…

Daniel Carlson kicked the game-clinching field goal as time expired in
overtime.

Notable numbers of the game

The Chargers were 6-of-7 on fourth down situations and 4-of-4 in the red
zone.

Justin Herbert surpassed 5,000 passing yards, marking the first Charger
ever to accomplish the feat.

Herbert engineered a 19-play, 83-yard drive in 2:06 to send the game to
overtime.

Los Angeles allowed 174 rushing yards (5.1 yards per carry).

The Bolts committed ten penalties for 108 yards.

The Chargers lost the turnover battle, 2-0.

Quick takes

– What more can you say about Herbert? The guy has it. Despite being in
the face of pressure and taking hit after hit all night long, he still
overcame the adversity.

– When it seemed like the Chargers’ season was over when it was 29-14,
Herbert guided them to two consecutive touchdown drives to tie up the
game and send it to overtime, delivering remarkable throws along the way.

– Los Angeles’ offensive line had no answer for the Raiders’ pass rush
for the majority of the game, and it was Storm Norton who was the
primary culprit, with Maxx Crosby having his way on the right side.

– The drops continued to be an issue, but the pass catchers delivered in
crunch time on crucial downs. Mike Williams and Keenan Allen had two
apiece in the final two drives.

– The Chargers had to abandon the run in the fourth quarter, but they
managed to be efficient, averaging four yards per carry on the night.

– Darren Waller and Hunter Renfrow were held to 22 and 13 yards,
respectively. However, Michael Davis and Chris Harris Jr. were the
culprits of Renfrow’s touchdown grabs.

– Derek Carr was held to 186 yards passing. Still, the Raiders resorted
to the run where Joshua Jacobs had a field day, and the Chargers
remained undisciplined up front and struggled to tackle at the second
level, with Jerry Tillery and Kenneth Murray being the primary targets.

– The 3rd-and-23 play where Jalen Richard picked up the first down was
the most maddening of them all.

– Speaking of Murray, he was on the field in favor of Kyzir White in
dime packages. Confusing, to say the least, considering White was the
team’s best linebacker all season.

– It’s easy to point fingers at the refs, especially on the pass
interference penalty on Harris to set up Jacobs’ one-yard rushing
touchdown shouldn’t have been called. But, contact or no contact, the
ball was not catchable.

– While the Raiders got their holding penalties, like when Uchenna Nwosu
was dinged for one on Darren Waller when it shouldn’t have been, I felt
like the refs missed a handful that should’ve been called for the Chargers.

– The special teams unit wasn’t at its best. Dustin Hopkins missed a
52-yard field goal. Andre Roberts averaged just 23.5 yards on kickoffs
and fumbled on a punt return.

– Brandon Staley’s timeout in the final minute of overtime will be the
talk of the week, as many assume that the Raiders were trending towards
letting the clock run out to end the game in a tie. Regardless, the
lackluster run defense still let them down on that entire drive, as it
did most of the game.
What’s next?

After finishing 9-8, the Chargers head into the offseason with nearly
$80 million in cap space and the 17th overall selection in the 2022 NFL
draft.