Chargers outduel the Raiders, no seriously, they do

On a day when Raiders quarterback Derek Carr matched Chargers counterpart Philip Rivers throw-for-throw, it was the running game that made the difference.
Fourth-option Branden Oliver carried the ball 26 times for 101 yards, none bigger than the fourth-quarter 1-yard plunge for a touchdown which gave his side a 31-28 win over the Raiders.

The Chargers are playing without injured backs Ryan Mathews, Danny Woodhead and Donald Brown, but continue to grind games out with an offense balanced between an MVP-candidate quarterback and anonymous runners.
It was a tough loss to swallow for the Raiders, not just because it was their 11th straight going back to last year.
Rookie quarterback Derek Carr was brilliant, 18-of-34 for 283 and four touchdowns. Throwing an interception with 1:13 to play wiull leave a smudge on his record, but there was plenty to like about his return after injuring his knee and ankle two weeks ago in London.
They also played with an obviously spark in the first game under interim coach Tony Sparano. The result’s not much different, but the approach was very different.
For the Chargers, it was their fifth straight win, as they improved to 5-1 on the season.