Las Vegas (KSNV) — Quarterback Geno Smith threw three interceptions and the Las Vegas Raiders (1-1) struggled to generate much offense, falling to the Los Angeles Chargers 20-9 in their home opener Monday night.
Smith finished the day with 180 yards on 24-for-43 passing as the Raiders were stymied for most of the game by the Chargers’ defense.
Jakobi Meyers led all of the Las Vegas pass catchers with 68 yards and six receptions, and rookie Ashton Jeanty had just 43 yards rushing on 11 carries. Daniel Carlson accounted for all of the team’s scoring, going 3-for-3 on field goal tries.
Meanwhile, Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert threw for 242 yards and two touchdowns on 19-for-27 passing. He also led the team in rushing with 31 yards.
Quentin Johnston and Keenan Allen both had a touchdown catch for Los Angeles.
The game renewed the long-running rivalry between head coaches Pete Carroll of the Raiders and Jim Harbaugh of the Chargers.
Before Monday, the two faced each other 12 times in their careers, first in college football when Carroll was at USC and Harbaugh led Stanford, and again in the NFL’s NFC West when Carroll coached the Seattle Seahawks and Harbaugh joined the San Francisco 49ers.
Los Angeles’ win gives Harbaugh a 7-6 edge in their head-to-head matchups across college and pro football. Their next matchup is on Nov. 30 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.
For Week 3, the Raiders travel cross-country to face the Washington Commanders on Sunday, Sept. 21.
Las Vegas Raiders co-owner Tom Brady, defensive end Maxx Crosby and tight end Brock Bowers will join a flag football event in Saudi Arabia next year.
Fanatics, OBB and Fox Sports announced the global event, dubbed The Fanatics Flag Football Classic, a round-robin tournament featuring three teams of current and retired NFL stars.
This will mark Brady’s first time competing in a football event since his retirement from the NFL in 2023.
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“I couldn’t be more excited to return to the field, get the competitive juices flowing alongside some of the game’s brightest stars and iconic legends, and bring a truly unique global sports event to fans everywhere during Riyadh Season,” Brady said in a statement.
Other confirmed players include Saquon Barkley, CeeDee Lamb, Christian McCaffrey, Sauce Gardner, Myles Garrett, Tyreek Hill, Odell Beckham Jr., and Rob Gronkowski.
Comedian and actor Kevin Hart will serve as host.
The Fanatics Flag Football Classic is scheduled for Saturday, March 21, at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh.
The event comes as flag football prepares to make its debut as a sport in the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.