Raiders defense flexes its muscle against Chargers

Sep 20, 2026 at 06:33 PM

Digital Team Reporter

After Week 1, it was fair to wonder whether the Raiders defense was the real deal.

It was quite the impressive showing with five sacks and two turnovers, limiting the Miami Dolphins to 74 rushing yards and quarterback Malik Willis to a 55.6 completion percentage.

Many assumed that the Los Angeles Chargers offense would pose a much greater threat than the young, rebuilding Dolphins did. After all, the Chargers just hired offensive mastermind Mike McDaniel to lead their unit, with two-time Pro Bowler Justin Herbert at his disposal.

Not to mention the Raiders hadn't won a game in SoFi Stadium since 2020 and Herbert has thrown 22 touchdowns in his career against the Silver and Black.

But as the game unfolded, the smoke cleared. The Raiders defense arguably played even better than they did the Sunday before.

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Their pressure upfront completely rattled the Chargers, who had multiple false start and holding penalties. Herbert was hit nine times by seven different defenders and sacked twice.

The Silver and Black also held the Chargers to 5-of-14 on third down, the Raiders' second straight week holding a team to under 40% on third down conversions.

Herbert was held to 192 passing yards and, coincidentally exactly as Willis, a 55.6 completion percentage.

"I mean he's a hell of a player," Maxx Crosby said of Herbert postgame. "Super talented. He offers a lot of different challenges on the field. ... Us a defensive front, a front seven, just the defense in general, we wanted to make it as difficult as possible for him."

"I think we have a lot of confidence, it starts with [defensive coordinator] Robbie [Leonard]," Crosby added. "Robbie does a great job during the week of getting us prepared. ... We have a lot of confidence building, but every single week is a new challenge."

And now after two games, the Raiders defense is up to five turnovers – already more than a quarter of their total from 2025.

Rookie Hezekiah Masses accounted for two interceptions, starting in place of Darien Porter who was out with a foot injury. Masses' first interception was a grab off a bobbled catch by Chargers' David Njoku. The rookie's second came late in the fourth quarter when he leapt in front of Derius Davis and came down with the ball to a grand ovation from his teammates.

"I couldn't even sleep last night, man," Masses said on Raiders Gameday. "I was like, 'I can't let my team down.' I knew they were going to try to come at me being a rookie and I just had to make plays on the ball."

"I just want to get the ball," the rookie added. "Wherever the ball's at, that's where I'm trying to be and just make plays."

Masses is the first Raiders rookie with multiple interceptions in a game since Henry Williams nearly five decades ago. In 26 coverage snaps, Masses allowed two catches for 16 yards on six targets as a defender and was awarded a game ball for his efforts.

"Incredible start for him," Kubiak said. "Really proud of him, really proud of how his teammates supported him because the ball doesn't get into his hands without great pass rush and great coverage. But really proud of Zeke."

A third Raiders turnover sealed the game. Nakobe Dean forced a fumble on running back Omarion Hampton late in the fourth quarter as the Chargers offense was marching down the field. Jeremy Chinn recovered, setting up the Raiders offense to take a 24-14 lead on an 11-yard Kirk Cousins touchdown pass to Cody White.

In total, the Chargers fumbled the ball six times – with their last one being the most costly.

"Always satisfying, definitely with how much we talk about it," Dean said of forcing the fumble. "We talk about it, we rep it, we got what we call 'eat drills' every week. Being able to do it is essentially just seeing all your work kind of come into fruition."

"Winning pedigree, he's a winner," Kubiak said of Dean. "He won in college, he won in Philly, him and Quay Walker, they bring winning to the organization."

Overall, the Raiders' revamped defense doesn't seem to be fluke. If the trend continues, it could be a formidable unit, especially in receiving massive contributions from the rookie class and offseason free agency additions.

But even with a 2-0 start, the main objective is staying even keel.

"We got 15 more games," Kubiak said bluntly after the win. "I'm really proud of today, but the way that you in more is that you forget about it quick and go back to work on the next one."

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Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby (98) during the regular season game against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium.