It wasn't an enjoyable night for birthday boy Pete Carroll and his Las Vegas Raiders on "Monday Night Football" against the division rival Los Angeles Chargers. Nothing went right for the 74-year-old head coach in a 20-9 defeat. Carroll is now the first NFL head coach to coach a game at the age of 74. Longtime nemesis and Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh evened the head-to-head record between the two at the NFL level to 5-5 with the victory.
Raiders quarterback Geno Smith threw an interception on his very first throw of the night. Smith didn't see Chargers safety Alohi Gilman lurking in zone coverage when he attempted to rifle a throw to wide receiver Tre Tucker, and Los Angeles capitalized on that error. Gilman batted the football into the air, and Chargers linebacker Daiyan Henley made the interception.
Smith threw a second interception at the tail end of the first half, clearly losing patience. He chucked a deep ball into double coverage, and Los Angeles safety Tony Jefferson easily undercut the throw to intercept it on the Chargers' 1-yard line.
He tried to squeeze the football to the end zone once again with under six minutes left to play. However, he made the mistake of trying to whistle the football past four-time Pro Bowl safety Derwin James. James knocked the football away from the outstretched hands of Jakobi Meyers and into the waiting arms of Chargers cornerback Donte Jackson. Smith, who now has a 4-13 prime-time record, continued to wilt under the bright lights, throwing for 180 yards and three interceptions on 24 of 43 passing. Smith was sacked three times.
Tight end Brock Bowers played after being questionable with a knee injury, but he didn't look 100%. He totaled just 38 yards on five catches.
Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert picked up right where he left off with 2023 first-round wide receiver Quentin Johnston. Johnston broke out for five catches for 79 yards and two touchdowns to grab a 27-21 Week 1 win against the Kansas City Chiefs in Brazil.
Herbert connected with him on a 60-yard bomb for the quarterback's second touchdown of the night to extend the lead to 17-6 with 1:51 left in the half. Johnston's three receiving touchdowns in two games are tied for the most in the NFL this season along with Amon-Ra St. Brown, Rome Odunze and Emeka Egbuka. Wiley veteran Keenan Allen accounted for the other touchdown with a toe drag in the back right corner of the end zone in the first quarter. Herbert finished the night with 242 yards passing and two touchdowns on 19 of 27 passing.
Check out our takeaways from the game below:
Los Angeles played a much cleaner game. Herbert was on point early, completing 9 of his first 14 passes and 19 of 27 overall. Their defense also created havoc from the opening whistle with the interception of Smith. On many of Smith's key dropbacks on key third and fourth downs, he simply didn't have open receivers to throw to. It seemed like Los Angeles had 12 men on the field with how suffocating its defense was.
Losing the turnover battle three to one certainly ended up leading to a home-opening defeat. They also didn't feature 2025 sixth overall pick running back Ashton Jeanty much despite Bowers not being 100%. Jeanty totaled only 43 yards on 11 carries, but it would have likely helped keep the Chargers' pass rush at bay.
Herbert's 60-yard touchdown pass to Johnston. On a night when the Raiders' offense couldn't find any room to operate, a multi-score lead felt insurmountable, and that ended up being the case.
Herbert's first touchdown pass to Allen featured a slick toe drag for the game's first score. The way he mirrored Herbert's movements as his quarterback rolled out of the pocket allowed him to be available exactly where Herbert needed him to be.
James being able to turn his head while in coverage with Tucker in the middle of the end zone essentially snuffed out Las Vegas' final shot to make this a ballgame in the fourth quarter. Not many players would have been able to get their head around and tip the ball up into the air to a teammate's awaiting arms in the tight spot James was in. Truly a spectacular play.
The Chargers are now 2-0 for the second time in as many seasons under Harbaugh, while the Raiders fall to 1-1. The visiting Chargers will return home to host the 1-1 Denver Broncos in Week 3, while Las Vegas will make a cross-country trip to the Washington Commanders in Week 3.
Rookie running back Omarion Hamption gets stripped by Raiders Pro Bowl edge rusher Maxx Crosby, and the Raiders are still alive with 3:51 left to play. Los Angeles is doing their best to give away their 20-9 lead.
Geno Smith just couldn't make the plays when the Raiders needed it most against the 2024 season's No. 1 scoring defense. He was sacked by linebacker Daiyan Henley on fourth down to force the turnover on downs.
Smith attempted to thread the football into a tight window to wide receiver Jakobi Meyers, but Chargers Pro Bowl safety Derwin James had other ideas. He batted the football away, and Los Angeles cornerback Donte Jackson was ready and waiting to catch the rebound for Smith's third interception. That should be game over in Las Vegas with the Chargers up 20-9 with 5:57 left to play.
Los Angeles head coach Jim Harbaugh was too timid near the goal line on their last drive, so he attempted to make amends by going for it on fourth-and-1 at the 50. Unfortunately for the Chargers, quarterback Justin Herbert fumbled the exchange with wide receiver Derius Davis, and Los Angeles turns the ball over on downs. They maintain a 20-9 lead with just over eight minutes left to play.
Las Vegas possessed the football for 11:15 and marched 16 yards down the field in 18 plays. However, a holding penalty derailed their promising drive, so they settled for a 37-yard field goal. Down 11, 20-9 with 11:15 left in the game, the Raiders have an uphill climb.
Surprisingly, Los Angeles decided to take the football out of the hands of quarterback Justin Herbert near the goal line. Rookie running back Omarion Hampton gained just three yards on three carries, which got Los Angeles down to the 2-yard line. Getting that close, the analytics likely would say it's worth going for it. Instead, Harbaugh got conservative and went for the 14-yard point lead via a 20-yard field goal.
Geno Smith appeared to say YOLO as he threw the football into double coverage on the doorstep of the end zone to rookie wide receiver Dont'e Thornton Jr. It didn't work. Chargers safety Tony Jefferson easily undercut the football to intercept Smith at the one. Chargers stay in front 17-6 just before halftime.
Former first-round wide receiver Quentin Johnston was a deep-ball menace in his time at TCU, and he showcased why just now. Johnston, who is 6-foot-2, turned on the afterburners on a vertical route, and Herbert dropped a dime to his deep threat for an effortless 60-yard touchdown. Los Angeles now leads Las Vegas, 17-6, with just under two minutes remaining in the half.
Mack will not return to action tonight.
Las Vegas hasn't been able to protect quarterback Geno Smith on key third downs. Both of the most critical third downs for the Raiders tonight have ended with sacks of quarterback Geno Smith. Daniel Carlson's 40-yard field goal, trims the Chargers' lead to four, 10-6, with 9:54 left to play in the half.
Mack is going to get an X-ray right now, according to ESPN's broadcast.
Allen easily got both feet down despite limited real estate in the back corner of the end zone.
Herbert is able to escape the pocket to hit veteran wide receiver Keenan Allen for a 10-yard touchdown because of rookie running back Omarion Hampton's blocking. Hampton stonewalled Raiders linebacker Devin White multiple times on the scoring strike as Herbert rolled out to the right to hit a streaking Allen in the back right corner of the end zone. Los Angeles leads 10-3 with 20 seconds left in the first quarter.
Dicker hit his 94th career field goal to open up the scoring on "Monday Night Football." The 38-yard make by Dicker represented his 94th made field goal in 100 career attempts, and that's huge because 100 career attempts is enough to qualify him for the all-time field goal percentage leaderboard. Dicker (94%) is now the new No. 1 ahead of Baltimore Ravens legend Justin Tucker (89.1%).
Two drives have come and gone for Las Vegas without a target for 2024 first-team All-Pro tight end Brock Bowers. Quarterback Geno Smith may not be fully trusting in Bowers' knee after the tight end only practiced once this week: in a limited fashion on Saturday.
Smith took a 10-yard sack at the hands of former Raiders superstar Khalil Mack on third-and-7. That's why Las Vegas settled for a tie via a 54-yard field goal.
A five-yard gain to wide receiver Ladd McConkey was sandwiched in between two incompletions by quarterback Justin Herbert on Los Angeles' opening drive following the takeaway. That certainly takes a little air out of the Chargers' sails, but they're still able to take an early 3-0 lead.
Smith didn't see Chargers safety Alohi Gilman lurking in zone coverage when he attempted to rifle a throw in tight to wide receiver Tre Tucker, and Los Angeles capitalized on that error. Gilman batted the football into the air, and Chargers linebacker Daiyan Henley intercepted the football. Los Angeles takes over at the Raiders' 25 for their first drive of the night. Smith entered Monday night with a 4-12 record in 16 primetime starts.
Jeanty became the sixth Raider since the 1970 AFL/NFL merger with a rushing touchdown in his first career game and the first to do so since Pro Bowler Josh Jacobs in 2019.
Raiders with rush TD in first career Game
Since 1970 Merger
Season
Ashton Jeanty 2025
Josh Jacobs 2019
Jalen Ricard 2016
Napoleon Kaufman 1995
Greg Robinson 1993
Marcus Allen 1982
Geno Smith is 4-12 in his career as an NFL starting quarterback in primetime games, the fourth-worst record by a starting quarterback in primetime in the 21st century, minimum 15 starts. He is coming off a solid performance in the team's Week 1 win at the New England Patriots, which was an afternoon game: 362 passing yards, one touchdown and one interception on 24 of 34 passing.
Worst Primetime Record by Starting QB
Since 2000
W-L Win Pct
Daniel Jones 1-15 .063
Andy Dalton 6-21 .222
Kerry Collins 5-16 .238
Geno Smith 4-12 .250
> Minimum 15 starts
Herbert threw for 318 passing yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions in Los Angeles' 27-21 Week 1 win over the Kansas City Chiefs in Brazil. Much of that production came against Chiefs four-time Super Bowl champion defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo's vaunted blitz. Herbert's 173 yards passing against the blitz were the second-most passing yards against the Chiefs' blitz under Spags. He also became the first quarterback to be blitzed 15 or more times and average 10 or more yards per dropback against the Spagnuolo blitz.
The Chargers won both games against the Raiders in 2024 by double digits and have won three of the last four against Las Vegas. Los Angeles has also won three consecutive "Monday Night Football" games vs. Las Vegas. Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert will also look to continue his success against one of his AFC West rivals.
Justin Herbert Career vs Raiders
W-L 6-3
Pass YPG 279.6
Total TD-INT 21-2
Passer Rating 101.4
The Chargers are looking to start 2-0 for the second straight season and both years under Jim Harbaugh. The Raiders are looking to go 2-0 for the first time since the 2021 season, the last year Las Vegas made the playoffs.
Carroll will become the first head coach to coach an NFL game at the age of 74 when the Chargers and Raiders square off in Las Vegas.
Monday night marks the first meeting between Jim Harbaugh and Pete Carroll since 2014 when they were the head coaches of the San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks respectively. The two are 6-6 against each other including their battles in the Pac-10 at Stanford and USC, but Carroll has the NFL edge at 5-4. Carroll has won the five of the last six meetings, including the playoffs.
Jim Harbaugh-Pete Carroll Head-to-Head Career
College (Stanford vs USC)
NFL (49ers vs Seahawks)
