The Chargers didn’t put together their best performance of the season today, but fortunately they were playing the Raiders.
Philip Rivers had a workmanlike effort, and Melvin Gordon had a couple big plays, and the Chargers went to Oakland and won 20-6.
The Raiders’ offense marched down the field and kicked a field goal on the first drive of the game, but after that Oakland didn’t do much of anything. The Raiders’ biggest gain came from, of all people, punter Johnny Townsend, who ran 42 yards on a fake punt. That was one of the few exciting moments from the Raiders, who haven’t had many exciting moments this season.
The best news today from the Chargers may be that they’ve finally found a kicker. Mike Badgley went 2-for-2 on field goals and 2-for-2 on extra points. The Chargers’ offense and defense have both played well this year, but their special teams have been a disaster, and having a competent kicker would go a long way toward making the Chargers contenders.
The Chargers are now 7-2 this season, and although they remain a game behind the Chiefs in the AFC West, as long as they keep winning, they can keep the division race interesting. The Raiders fall to 1-8, and the only interesting question for them this season is whether they’ll get the first overall pick in the 2019 NFL draft.