LA Chargers: Good, bad and ugly in 31-26 loss to Las Vegas Raiders
By Jason Reed
The LA Chargers could not break an eight-game divisional losing streak against the Las Vegas Raiders.
Make it nine losses in a row. The LA Chargers have not won an AFC West divisional matchup since Week 17 of the 2018 season. At least in this game, the Chargers did not blow a double-digit lead, losing 31-26 to the Las Vegas Raiders.
This loss put a fork in any playoff hopes that the Chargers had. Granted, they should have been massively thin to begin with, but there is a zero percent chance now that this team will make the playoffs.
Not only are they 2-6 but they are playing horribly. There is no reason that we should expect them to finish the year with 0-1 losses to make the playoffs.
As we do with every loss, here is the good, the bad and the ugly.
The good:
Kalen Ballage joining the touchdown party
Kalen Ballage punched home a touchdown from five yards out early in the second quarter to become the thirteenth Charger to score a rushing or receiving touchdown this season. That has been one fun storyline to watch as everyone seems to be getting their fair share of points this season.
Ballage actually looked really good in the first half, albeit the Chargers did not use him much for the rest of the game. Justin Jackson was banged up early and Ballage had to step up and he did.
It will be interesting to see what the team does moving forward after Troymaine Pope had a breakout game last week.
Keenan Allen’s day
We were unsure if Keenan Allen was even going to be playing heading into Sunday as he had an undisclosed illness. Allen did wind up playing and caught his fourth touchdown of the season on a 27-yard dart from Justin Herbert.
Allen finished the day with 9 receptions for 103 yards. He is continuing to be one of the most underrated receivers in the league.