Four days after they were shut out in a 3-0 home defeat, the Las Vegas Raiders broke the franchise’s single-game scoring record in a 63-21 annihilation of the Los Angeles Chargers.
The Raiders preyed upon Chargers mistakes, turning all five Los Angeles turnovers into touchdowns — two directly on a scoop-and-score by John Jenkins and a pick-six by Jack Jones.
Las Vegas jumped out to a 42-0 halftime lead — nearly the NFL record — with quarterback Aidan O’Connell tossing four touchdowns. The Raiders also had two scores on the ground before the break. O’Connell finished 20-for-34 for 248 yards in a massive bounce-back performance after his Sunday struggles against the Minnesota Vikings.
Easton Stick got the start for the Chargers with Pro Bowl quarterback Justin Herbert lost for the season. Stick went 23-for-32 for 257 yards with three touchdowns. He did throw a pick-six … when the Chargers were already down 56-7. He wasn't the Chargers' only problem this night.
While the Raiders (6-8) were celebrating one of the biggest beatdowns in team history, the Chargers (5-9) were left licking their wounds after one of their biggest defeats. The 63 points were the most the Chargers have ever allowed (and only six teams have ever scored more in one regular-season game). Their sloppy — at times embarrassing — performance also ratchets up the pressure on coach Brandon Staley, whose seat has gone from hot to downright scalding. — Jace Evans
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Antonio Pierce, Raiders rebound: The Raiders were shut out last week and bounced back by setting a franchise record 63 points in a single game.
The Raiders’ effort late in a disappointing season is a testament to interim head coach Antonio Pierce. They are still fighting and playing with good effort.
The Raiders had a 42-0 halftime lead. The Raiders set a franchise record for their largest ever halftime lead. Las Vegas also set an NFL record for scoring the most points in a first half after being shut out the previous game.
In 2009, the Patriots set an NFL mark for largest ever halftime lead when they were ahead 45-0 over Titans at halftime. The Raiders almost matched the mark.
The Raiders scored 42 combined points in their last four games. They torched the Chargers for 63 on Thursday night.
Raiders defense: The Raiders defense forced five turnovers. Malcolm Koonce, DJ Turner, Robert Spillane and Marcus Epps all forced fumbles. Koonce forced two fumbles and tallied two sacks.
The Raiders recovered four of the Chargers’ fumbles and cornerback Jack Jones had a nice pick-six.
Las Vegas scored 35 points off Chargers turnovers.
Aidan O'Connell: The rookie quarterback was in danger of losing his starting job in Week 15, but his performance against the Chargers will give him at least another week as the team’s starter.
Against a hapless Chargers defense, O'Connell passed for 248 yards and four touchdowns in what was his best performance of his rookie season.
Raiders star wideout Davante Adams produced eight catches, 101 yards and one touchdown.
Chargers draft status: The Chargers are at the point where they have to start thinking about the upcoming NFL draft. The Chargers entered Week 15 with a record that has them positioned with the 10th pick in the 2024 NFL draft. The Chargers are sure to climb higher in the top 10, especially if they continue to perform like they did against the Raiders.
Brandon Staley: The Chargers' head coach was trending on social media on Thursday night for all the wrong reasons. Staley entered Week 15 on the hot seat. The temperature on his seat can’t get any hotter after the Chargers’ embarrassing performance.
Staley has a 24-24 record as Chargers head coach. He might not have that title for much longer.
The Chargers’ effort on Thursday night was a clear indication that Staley’s message isn’t resonating anymore in the locker room.
Michael Davis, Chargers defense: Chargers cornerback Michael Davis allowed six catches, 105 yards and two touchdowns in the first half alone. The Raiders picked on Davis for much of the game. But Davis was hardly the only problem for an abysmal Chargers defense.
Poor tackling combine with a terrible effort was a consistent theme throughout the game. The defense played as if they didn’t want to be in Las Vegas.
The 63 points are the most points the Chargers have ever given up. — Tyler Dragon
Four days after losing 3-0, the Raiders scored 42 points by halftime, didn’t let the Chargers cross midfield until the third quarter and rolled to a record-setting 63-21 victory on Thursday night.
The Las Vegas Raiders set a franchise record for most points in a game — also had the biggest point differential for a team from one game to the next — and finished with the eighth-most points scored by a team in a game.
Here are the highest points totals for a team in NFL history:
1. 73-0 — Chicago Bears over Washington in NFL championship game, Dec. 8, 1940
2. 72-41 — Washington over New York Giants, Nov. 27, 1966
3 (tie). 70-20 — Miami Dolphins over Denver Broncos, Sept. 24, 2023
3 (tie). 70-27 — Los Angeles Rams over Baltimore Colts, Oct. 22, 1950
5 (tie). 65-24 — Los Angeles Rams over Detroit Lions, Oct. 29, 1950
5 (tie). 65-20 — Chicago Cardinals over New York Bulldogs, Nov. 13, 1949
7. 64-0 — Philadelphia Eagles over Cincinnati Reds, Nov. 6, 1934
8 (tie). 63-21 — Las Vegas Raiders over Los Angeles Chargers, Dec. 14, 2023
8 (tie). 63-7 — Pittsburgh Steelers over New York Giants, Nov. 30, 1952
8 (tie). 63-35 — Chicago Cardinals over New York Giants, Oct. 17, 1948
— Jim Reineking
Looking to avoid being on the wrong end of NFL infamy, the Chargers used a 10-play, 55-yard drive to use up four-plus minutes to add a third touchdown late in the fourth quarter.
Easton Stick connected with rookie wide receiver Quentin Johnston for a 6-yard score with 2:38 remaining.
The Raiders' 63 points is the seventh-most ever in an NFL regular-season game. The most-ever was scored by Washington (72) in 1966. Earlier this season, the Miami Dolphins dropped a 70-burger on the Denver Broncos. — Jim Reineking
Chargers quarterback Easton Stick tossed a pass to down the middle to wide receiver Alex Erickson for a 13-yard touchdown. Erickson’s touchdown made the score 63-14 with 8:39 left of the game clock.
All 14 of the Chargers’ points have come in the second half.
Stick has two touchdown passes but he’s responsible for three of the Chargers’ five turnovers. — Tyler Dragon
The Las Vegas Raiders have entered historic territory, setting a franchise record for the most points ever scored in the team’s history after CB Jack Jones’ one-handed pick-six.
At the Chargers’ 22-yard-line, backup QB Easton Stick attempted a short screen pass to Austin Ekeler, but Jones got a jump on the route and picked the ball off using only one hand. He found the end zone on the Chargers’ fifth turnover of the night to go up, 63-7.
Not only does it mark the most points the Raiders scored, but it also sets a record for the most points the Chargers have ever given up in franchise history. — Cydney Henderson
The Raiders forced their fourth turnover of the game with the clock running down in the third quarter.
Chargers quarterback Easton Stick was stripped sacked by Raiders defensive end Malcolm Koonce. Defensive tackle John Jenkins picked up the loose football and scampered 44 yards for a touchdown to give the Raiders a 56-7 lead as the clock expired in the third quarter.
Koonce’s strip sack gave him two total sacks in the game.
The Chargers have four turnovers. The Raiders have 28 points off Los Angeles turnovers. — Tyler Dragon
The Chargers got into the end zone for the first time all night in the third quarter.
Chargers quarterback Easton Stick tossed a deep pass to wide receiver Joshua Palmer for a 79-yard touchdown. The touchdown was Los Angeles’ first score in a 49-7 blowout with 10:27 remaining in the third quarter.
The catch was Palmer’s first of the game. Palmer leads the Chargers with 79 receiving yards after his long touchdown reception. — Tyler Dragon
The Raiders’ lead over the Chargers ballooned to 49-0 after yet another touchdown on a trick play. At the Chargers’ 3-yard-line, QB Aidan O'Connell tossed a lateral pass to WR Jakobi Meyers, who then threw a touchdown pass to Davante Adams.
The Raiders have scored on five of their seven drives, racking up 343-yards of total offense. O'Connell has completed 17-of-28 passes for 231-yards and four touchdowns. — Cydney Henderson
The Raiders' 42-0 halftime lead is three points short of the New England Patriots' record from a 2009 game against the Tennessee Titans in the snow at Gillette Stadium.
The Patriots built a 45-0 halftime lead en route to a 59-0 win. Tom Brady threw for six touchdowns, three of which went to Randy Moss.
In a 1999 AFC divisional playoff game, the Jacksonville Jaguars had a 41-point halftime lead on the Miami Dolphins, eventually winning 62-7. — Jim Reineking
Too bad there’s not a mercy rule in the NFL.
The Raiders have a 42-0 halftime lead. It’s tied for the largest halftime lead in franchise history, and tied for the second-largest in NFL history. Per NFL Research, the Raiders' 42 first-half points also are the most scored by a team coming off a shutout, breaking the previous record of 34 points by the 1927 Frankford Yellow Jackets, who were coming off a 0-0 tie against the Dayton Triangles.
The Raiders scored their sixth touchdown of the first half when quarterback Aidan O'Connell tossed a 20-yard pass to Tre Tucker for the wide receiver’s second touchdown of the half.
O'Connell had 198 yards and four touchdowns in the first half. Wide receiver Davante Adams tallied five receptions and 73 yards.
The Raiders scored 21 points off three Chargers turnovers.
Nothing went right for the Chargers in the first half. The Chargers performed like they quit on head coach Brandon Staley.
The Raiders outgained the Chargers 283 to 89 in total yards and beat the Chargers in the turnover battle 3-0 in the first half. — Tyler Dragon
The Chargers seem to have quit on head coach Brandon Staley.
The Raiders went up 35-0 on the Chargers with 3:50 remaining in the second quarter.
Running back Brandon Bolden took a direct snap and rushed 26 yards down the left side for a touchdown. Bolden was barely touched on his touchdown run in what was a bad effort by the Chargers defense.
Bolden’s touchdown capped off a six-play, 65-yard drive for the Raiders. The Raiders have five touchdowns on seven drives in the first half.
The Raiders have the most first half points in NFL history after being shutout in the previous week, per the Amazon Prime broadcast. — Tyler Dragon
The Chargers fumbled the ball, again.
Trailing 21-0 to the Raiders, Chargers WR Derius Davis caught a 53-yard punt but fumbled the ball on the return, marking the Chargers’ third turnover in the first half. The Raiders recovered the ball at the Charger’s 14-yard line and QB Aidan O'Connell connected with TE Michael Mayer for an 11-yard TD.
The Raiders have score 28 unanswered points, one week removed from being shutout by the Minnesota Vikings, 3-0, in their Week 14 loss. — Cydney Henderson
The Raiders haven’t scored more than 17 points in a game since Week 9. They ended the first quarter with a commanding 21-0 lead over a struggling Chargers squad.
Las Vegas scored 14 points off two Chargers turnovers in the first quarter.
For the Chargers, it was a disastrous opening period. After punting on their opening drive, quarterback Easton Stick lost the football when he was sacked and it was recovered by Raiders defensive end Tyree Wilson. On the Chargers’ next possession, running back Joshua Kelley had the football jarred loosed from him and it was recovered by Raiders defensive lineman Jerry Tillery. — Tyler Dragon
Joshua Kelley's fumble resulted in another Raiders touchdown.
A minute and a half after the turnover, Raiders quarterback Aidan O'Connell connected with Jakobi Meyers for a 22-yard touchdown play that put the Raiders up comfortably, 21-0.
It is threatening to get ugly early in Las Vegas. — Jim Reineking
The Chargers offense would like to start Thursday night over. It has has lost fumbles on back-to-back possessions.
Chargers running back Joshua Kelley had the football stripped away from him by Raiders safety Marcus Epps and defensive tackle Adam Butler after a four-yard gain. The Raiders recovered the football at the Chargers’ own 31-yard line.
The turnover represented Los Angeles’ second of the first quarter. — Tyler Dragon
The Raiders are sticking it to the Chargers early and got a touchdown out of the first turnover of the game with a rookie-to-rookie connection.
On first-and-10, quarterback Aidan O’Connell threw the ball downfield and found wide receiver Tre Tucker in the back of the end zone for the 30-yard score, Tucker’s first career touchdown. Tucker, a third-round pick out of Cincinnati, bobbled the ball before finally snagging it. The replay showed that he only got one foot down in bounds with the second one stepping out, but after review, the officials upheld the call.
The score comes after Las Vegas recovered a fumble and puts the Raiders up 14-0. — Victoria Hernandez
Easton Stick’s first career start at quarterback isn’t off to a great start. After opening Thursday’s matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders with a three-and-out, Stick lost handle of the ball during his second drive as he was sacked by Raiders DE Malcolm Koonce and LB Robert Spillane, resulting in a fumble recovered by Raiders DE Tyree Wilson. — Cydney Henderson
The Raiders were shutout 3-0 last week. They scored a touchdown on their first drive Thursday night against the Chargers.
Las Vegas went on a 14-play, 63-yard touchdown drive that lasted more than five minutes.
Running back Zamir White, who got the start for Josh Jacobs due to injury, scored the game’s first touchdown on a 1-yard touchdown run.
Raiders star wide receiver Davante Adams had two catches for 31 yards during the Raiders’ opening possession. — Tyler Dragon
For the first time in NFL history, an all-Black on-field and replay crew will officiate a game. Thursday night will be the first time that three women will be on the same crew, with one on the field and two in the replay booth. — Tyler Dragon
After this week's news that NBC has removed Al Michaels from its NFL playoff coverage, it's time to enjoy the broadcasting legend now while you can. In the history of NFL broadcasting, no one was a better storyteller and captivator of the game or moment. — Mike Freeman
Tenth-year wide receiver Davante Adams has 91 career touchdown catches. The only players in NFL history with more touchdown receptions in their first 10 seasons — Jerry Rice (131), Randy Moss (124), Marvin Harrison (110) and Terrell Owens (101) — are all in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Adams has three touchdown grabs in four career games against the Chargers. — Tyler Dragon
Chargers edge rusher Khalil Mack leads the NFL with 15 sacks entering Week 15. Mack had six sacks against the Raiders in Week 4, tied for the second most all-time in a single game.
Mack is just a half-sack from reaching 100 for his career.
Raiders edge rusher Maxx Crosby has 83 tackles for loss since 2019, the most in the NFL in that span.
Crosby’s 13.5 sacks this season are tied for the third most in the NFL. — Tyler Dragon
Chargers vs. Raiders will kick off at 8:15 p.m. ET on Thursday, Dec. 14.
Chargers at Raiders will be streaming exclusively on Amazon Prime Video and will be broadcast in local markets only.
The Raiders are favorites to defeat the Chargers, according to BetMGM NFL odds.
USA TODAY Sports’ staff picks for this game:
Lorenzo Reyes: Raiders 19, Chargers 10 — The Chargers had been underwhelming with Justin Herbert at quarterback. Now with Easton Stick under center, it’s tough to back them in this spot, even with the deficiencies on the Raiders roster.
Tyler Dragon: Raiders 24, Chargers 13 — Justin Herbert’s season-ending injury closes the book on a disappointing season for the Chargers. The biggest questions for the Chargers are the job statuses of both coach Brandon Staley and general manager Tom Telesco. With so much uncertainty swirling around the Chargers on a short week, it’s hard to see them having a good performance in Las Vegas. Expect Davante Adams to have a big game.
Safid Deen: Raiders 24, Chargers 17 — It doesn’t feel like the Raiders, who will be without Josh Jacobs (quad) on a short week, are pushing to win more games this season with some questionable decision-making after they rattled off two wins to start the Antonio Pierce era. But this will be an easy win over a Chargers group limping to the finish line.
Victoria Hernandez: Raiders 12, Chargers 9 — If the Chargers season wasn’t already a wash, having Justin Herbert out is the cherry on top for this team. The Raiders haven’t exactly done great either and are coming off an abysmal performance. They have nothing to lose with rookie Aidan O’Connell and interim head coach Antonio Pierce, compared to Brandon Staley who is on one of the hottest seats in the league.
Jordan Mendoza: Raiders 17, Chargers 13 — The Chargers’ season is all but wrapped up with Justin Herbert out for the season, while the Raiders are trying to shake off the embarrassing 3-0 loss last week. The Chargers' defense has some holes that allow Las Vegas to score this week, and eventually get the win.
With Justin Herbert out for the rest of the season with a fractured index finger, the Los Angeles Chargers will finish the 2023 regular season with a quarterback who has never started an NFL game before: Easton Stick.
"I’m just going to go out there and play," Stick told the Los Angeles Times. "There’s going to be good and there’s going to be bad. … That’s just part of it. It’s football. It’s not perfect. I’m just going to go out there and do my best." — Jordan Mendoza
Seven starting quarterbacks — a whopping 22% of the league's starters — have been sidelined this year due to season-ending injuries. The quarterback injury bug started Week 1 of the 2023-24 season with New York Jets' QB Aaron Rodgers (Achilles) going down in the team's season-opening drive. The list has continued to grow at an alarming rate throughout the season, with Los Angeles Chargers QB Justin Herbert (finger) as the latest addition as of Tuesday. — Cydney Henderson
Disappointing seasons for both the Chargers and Raiders means that the two teams could be picking early in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft. Heading into Thursday night's game, the Raiders (seventh) and Chargers (10th) each reside in the top 10. The loser of Thursday night's game would move (albeit, likely temporarily) into the top five.
Here is the top 10 2024 draft order heading into Week 15:
The last time the Chargers picked in the top 10 was 2020, when the team selected quarterback Justin Herbert with the No. 6 overall pick. The Raiders selected linebacker Tyree Wilson with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2023 draft. — Jim Reineking
Raiders running back Zamir White is set to get his first career start as Josh Jacobs is out for the Week 15 Thursday night game with a quad injury.
Jacobs got hurt last week in a loss to the Vikings. Initial reports said he hurt his knee, but the team later said he suffered a quad injury. He did not participate in practice as Las Vegas prepared to face the Chargers and is listed as questionable.
White was selected by the Raiders in the fourth round of the 2022 draft out of Georgia. He was the Bulldogs’ leading rusher two seasons in a row and is 15th in school history with 2,043 rushing yards.
In his rookie year, White saw action in 14 games on offense and special teams, rushing for 28 and 24 yards against Seattle and Denver. He missed some time with an ankle injury.
This season, the 24-year-old has appeared in all 13 games on offense and special teams. He had four carries for 22 yards against Buffalo and had three receptions for 26 yards against Chicago.
He has yet to score his first NFL touchdown. — Victoria Hernandez
Derwin James is the highest-paid safety in the NFL. James has 326 tackles since 2021, the most in the NFL in that span. — Tyler Dragon
Not only are the Chargers without starting quarterback Justin Herbert — who is out for the season — but five-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Keenan Allen (heel) also will be unavailable for Thursday night's game.
Raiders running back Josh Jacobs (quad) — the 2022 rushing yardage leader — will not play against the Chargers. Brian Hoyer is out, which means Jimmy Garoppolo will serve as the backup to Aidan O'Connell, who could be on a short leash after Sunday's 3-0 loss to the Vikings.
Chargers' inactive players:
Raiders' inactive players:
Highlighting Thursday Night Football odds, the Los Angeles Chargers are among the best bets for NFL Week 15 in their primetime game against the Las Vegas Raiders. The Raiders are favored by 3 points at home, according to the BetMGM NFL odds. Looking to wager? Check out the best mobile sports betting apps offering NFL betting promos in 2023.
According to the top NFL betting apps, neither team boasts a player among those with the best NFL MVP betting odds in 2023 and neither the Chargers nor Raiders can claim the best Super Bowl betting odds.
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