Ballers & Busters for Raiders Week 18 vs Chargers
This game was so absolutely insane, it became challenging to sift through it to find the heroes and the goats. The game swung in completely different directions four times in regulation. And back the other direction in the overtime period.
The Raiders jumped out to a 10-0 lead in the first quarter. Midway through the second quarter, that lead turned into a 14-10 deficit. Then early in the fourth quarter, it ballooned to a 29-14 lead again. But two long touchdown drives in the final eight minutes would tie the game up at 29-29 and keep the game alive.
Each team scored on their drives in the overtime period. But no one scored a touchdown and since the Raiders got the ball first, that meant their second field goal was for the win.
Ballers
DE Maxx Crosby
As much energy as Crosby usually brings, he was a man possessed in this one. He made mincemeat out of Storm Norton to terrorize Justin Herbert and company all night.
Crosby nearly ended the Chargers’ first scoring drive when he got pressure to bat a Herbert pass down on third and two. But as happened a lot in this game, the Chargers went for it on fourth down and converted to keep the drive alive and finish with a touchdown.
Late in the second quarter, after the Raiders retook the lead 17-14, Crosby again burst into the Chargers’ backfield. Norton was flagged for holding and Crosby still affected Herbert’s throw. It fell incomplete and the penalty was declined to force a punt and end the first half.
The Chargers weren’t overly concerned because they knew they would be getting the ball first to begin the third quarter. A 42-yard reception put them at the Vegas 22-yard-line. Two plays resulted in losses and Crosby stopped the screen attempt at two yards. Dustin Hopkins came in to try and 51-yard field goal and missed it.
Crosby was in on the stop on third down on the Chargers’ next drive as well. This time they made a risky decision to go for it on fourth down at their own 18 and the run was stuffed for a loss and a turnover on downs.
The next drive on third and three, Crosby’s relentless pursuit led to a sack and a three-and-out. The next drive, Crosby was in Herbert’s face as he threw and was intercepted by Casey Hayward.
A field goal made it 29-14 with just over eight minutes left. The Chargers went on two long drives, but Crosby did everything in his power to stop them. He had a QB hit on third and six for an incompletion. Later, with the Chargers with a first down at the 12, he sacked Herbert for an 11-yard loss. They would end up converting on fourth and 21 to score the touchdown.
On the final drive that lasted 19 plays, Crosby had two QB hits that resulted in incompletions. He put up ten pressures in this game, putting him over 100 pressures on the season (101). His two sacks gave him eight on the season, surpassing his 2020 total (seven).
RB Josh Jacobs
Despite still fighting through a rib injury, Jacobs just seemed to get better as this game went along. He had 20 yards rushing at the half. By the end of regulation, he had 67 yards. And in the overtime period alone, he had 69 yards rushing.
Jacobs scored the Raiders’ second touchdown of the day from one yard out.
Following the Hayward interception, Jacobs broke off a ten-yard run, then a seven-yard run and a five-yard run that put them in scoring range and the Raiders added a field goal to take a 29-14 lead.
He was nearly the Raiders’ entire offense in the overtime period. He broke off a 28-yard run followed by an 18-yard run that put the Raiders in field goal range inside the 30.
On the final drive, he had a seven-yard run and a six-yard run. At that point, the Raiders were content to run out the clock rather than even attempt what would be a 57-yard field goal, but the Chargers called a timeout and out of it, Jacobs burst through for ten yards. Making for a 47-yard attempt, which is far more manageable and it was the game-winner.
K Daniel Carlson
That game-winner was off the leg of Daniel Carlson. It was the fifth such field goal by Carlson in this game. He also had field goals from 24, 31, 52, and 40 yards out along with three extra points. He misses any of those and we might be telling a different story about this game. But he didn’t. Because he doesn’t in that building. He is lights out at Allegiant.
DT Quinton Jefferson, DT Darius Philon
The first drive of the third quarter saw the Chargers reach the 22-yard-line. They were down 17-14, so they were set up to at least tie the game. But then on second down, Jefferson crashed the pocket to sack Herbert for a ten-yard loss. It turned what would have been a manageable field goal outside of 50 yards and Dustin Hopkins would miss it.
The next possession, they were stuck inside their own 20-yard-line. On third and one, Philon got in on the stop for no gain. The Chargers shocked everyone by going for it on fourth and one and Philon was there again, this time stuffing the run for a loss to give the Raiders the ball at the 16-yard-line.
On the Hayward interception, it was Crosby who got in Herbert’s face on the pass, but it was Jefferson who got the initial pressure. Jefferson would had three more pressures on the Chargers’ final drive of regulation including a hit. All resulting in incompletions.
WR Hunter Renfrow
The first big pass play of the game was the 47-yarder by Foster Moreau. That pass went about five yards in the air, but Moreau was off to the races in part because of a find block Renfrow laid to allow him to get up to speed and find some space. On the next play, in first and goal at the seven, Renfrow’s moves led to a holding penalty to make it first and goal at the three. Unfortunately, it didn’t lead to a touchdown.
Later in the first quarter, off a turnover on special teams, the Raiders were once again in the red zone. This time they converted. And the series of moves the Renfrow put on this time shook CB Michael Davis out of his shoes making for an easy touchdown. Or at least he made it look easy.
Late in the third quarter, the Raiders would drive back in the red zone. And in third and goal from the two, Renfrow again got the pass from Carr and he made the catch for the score.
To begin the overtime period, Josh Jacobs found open space on the right side and was able to turn it into a 28-yard gain thanks to a Renfrow block. That put the Raiders in LA territory and helped them move in range for a field goal to open the extra period.
Honorable Mention
QB Derek Carr — He played with house money for a while in this one. Nearly being picked off at the end of the first drive, overthrowing a wide-open Zay Jones to end the second possession only to get the ball back on a fumbled punt return, a terrible pass interference call on Chris Harris Jr that not only wasn’t actually a PI, but the ball wasn’t catchable, and late in the fourth Carr fumbled the ball after a double-clutch near his own goal line that Brandon Parker luckily recovered.
That said, Carr threw a couple of touchdowns and made two big throws in overtime to set up the game-winning field goal. He also extended a couple of plays in the game that led to positive results.
WR/RS Tyron Johnson — Johnson is the Raiders’ kick returner. But he also plays on coverage teams. And he made everyone aware of that when he batted the ball out of the hands of Andre Roberts to give the Raiders the ball back at the LA 23. That led to the Raiders’ first touchdown.
WR Bryan Edwards — With the Raiders leading 20-14 late in the third quarter, they set up in third and five. Carr moved around the pocket to keep the play alive and Edwards saw it, broke off his route and got open deep for a gorgeous 30-yard catch. That drive would lead to a touchdown to make it a two-score game early in the fourth. He also made a 17-yard catch to start out the Raiders’ game-winning drive in OT.
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Busters
CB Brandon Facyson
Despite the Raiders taking a lead early and coming back to take the lead two more times in this game, you got the feeling Justin Herbert could just pick apart the Raiders defense anytime he wanted to.
When the Raiders took a 10-0 lead, the Chargers had run just three plays on offense. Then Herbert started driving. He went after Facyson first for a five-yard completion. Later in the drive, they lined up in third and 17. And Facyson was flagged for illegal contact to keep the drive alive. They would drive for a touchdown from there.
With just over eight minutes left, the Raiders held a 15-point lead. One stop on defense would have likely ended the Chargers’ hopes of coming back. They didn’t get that stop. Facyson gave up a five-yard catch.
Two plays later, he gave up an 18-yard catch. Then a six-yard catch. Then a 15-yard catch. Then on fourth and six, he gave up a six-yard catch to set them up in first down at the 12-yard-line. A Crosby sack backed them up to the 23. But on fourth-and-21 Facyson gave up a 23-yard touchdown to pull the Chargers within one score.
CB Casey Hayward
It was a tough call making him a Buster being that he had the big interception and added three pass breakups in the game. But the last few minutes of regulation and overtime were brutal for him. And made the pick seem like ancient history.
The Chargers got the ball back with 2:06 left in the game. Then they went 83 yards in 19 plays to tie it. They converted three fourth downs in the process. The first one was 4th and ten and Hayward gave up a ten-yard catch.
They would find themselves at the 29-yard-line with 10 seconds left. Enough time for two more plays. On the first play, Hayward gave up a 17-yard catch to the 12-yard-line. With 02 seconds left, they had one play to tie or go home. And Herbert found Mike Williams over the middle with Hayward in coverage for the score.
In the overtime period, the Chargers had to answer the Raiders’ field goal. Once again, they found themselves in a fourth down. On fourth-and-nine Hayward gave up a 47-yard catch and run to Mike Williams that put them in scoring range. They made the field goal to tie it back up.
LB Denzel Perryman
Perryman gave up a 19-yard catch on the Chargers’ first scoring drive. On the second scoring drive, he was blocked on an 11-yard run and gave up an eight-yard run to put them inside the 20. Then he missed the tackle on a screen pass to give up a 14-yard touchdown.
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