NFL Week 1 scores and live updates: Schedule, news, analysis, inactives, observations from Sunday’s games
By Daniel Popper, Tashan Reed and Vic Tafur
The Los Angeles Chargers picked up a win in Jim Harbaugh’s regular season debut as the team’s head coach in typical Harbaugh fashion — with a dominant rushing attack.
Keyed by 135 yards and a touchdown on just 10 carries from J.K. Dobbins, who’s also in his first season with Los Angeles, the Chargers picked up a 22-10 win against the Las Vegas Raiders at So-Fi Stadium on Sunday.
The Chargers averaged 6.5 yards per carry and rushed for 176 yards as a team to pick up the win for Harbaugh, who returned to the NFL after leading Michigan Wolverines to a College Football Playoff National Championship in 2023, in what proved to be a chippy contest against the division rivals.
Late in the fourth quarter, Chargers receiver Joshua Palmer and Raiders cornerback Jack Jones were ejected after a scuffle that drew in multiple players from both teams and saw Harbaugh out on the field attempting to help separate the players. This ensued following a 10-yard touchdown pass from Justin Herbert to Ladd McConkey that gave Los Angeles a 22-10 lead.
Chargers physical in victory
The Harbaugh era begins with a win, and the result is just as important as how the Chargers got there. They stuck with the running game in the second half, finishing with 176 yards on 26 carries. Dobbins led the way, including with a 61-yard run on the Chargers’ game-sealing touchdown drive.
After a sloppy first half, the offense’s physicality came alive in the second half. That extended to a brawl that erupted after a Chargers’ two-point attempt in the fourth quarter. The vision also materialized on defense, as the Chargers edge rushers dominated the game. Joey Bosa, who had a sack and forced fumble, was one of the best players on the field on either side. Khalil Mack added two sacks. — Popper
Raiders run out of gas
The Raiders defense was excellent in the first half against the Chargers, but it ran out of gas down the stretch. The second half was marred by missed tackles, poor angles and blown assignments both in the run game and after the catch on completed passes. After being limited to 83 total yards in the first half, the Chargers amassed 158 rushing yards in the second half alone.
The Raiders offense, which mustered just three points in the second half, deserves plenty of blame as it left the defense out to dry. Still, the team consistently struggled to stop the run in the preseason and it looks like that could continue to be an issue that teams can exploit in the regular season. — Reed
Questionable call
The Raiders got stuffed on 3rd and 1 and 4th and 1 three times by the Chargers in the first half, and it set the stage for some lack of courage when the game was hanging in the balance. The Raiders kicked a field goal on 4th and 1 to cut the deficit to 16-10 and then punted on 4th and 1 from the Chargers 43-yard-line down six points. It’s the first 4th and 1 punt by a team in plus territory when down a score in the fourth quarter since Rex Ryan’s Bills did it against the Baltimore Ravens in the 2016 opener, per Sportradar.
The Raiders offensive line struggled, as they ran for only 71 yards on 22 carries and Gardner Minshew was sacked four times. Davante Adams was only targeted six times and had five catches for 59 yards. — Tafur
Required reading
- Antonio Pierce’s play calling comes up short as Raiders fall to Chargers in season opener
- What we learned in NFL Week 1: Good day to be Dak, Lions look gritty as ever
- NFL Week 1 takeaways: Cowboys’ talent overwhelms, Harbaugh’s formula works, Caleb Williams shaky
- Fantasy football Week 1 takeaways: Richardson defies reality, Caleb Williams’ dud and more
(Photo: Ronald Martinez / Getty Images)
