The Chargers needed to walk out of SoFi Stadium with a win on Sunday against the Raiders and that’s exactly what they did by handling business against their divisional rival. Los Angeles shrugged off a shaky first-half performance to beat the Raiders 31-14 at home to move to 8-4 ahead of an intimidating five-game slate to end the season.

Justin Herbert completed 75 percent of his passes (15-of-20) for only 151 yards but tossed a pair of touchdowns to Quentin Johnston and Ladd McConkey all while dealing with an injured left hand he suffered on the first drive of the game. Herbert missed most of one drive while getting a taped glove put on but otherwise played the entire game without going back under center.

Kimani Vidal carried the ball 25 times for a career-high 126 yards, including an electric 59-yard score that helped pull the Bolts out of their early funk. Backup Jaret Patterson took 11 carries for 54 yards and a score as the Chargers rushed for 192 yards on the night.

In a quiet day for the receivers, Ladd McConkey led the group with 39 yards on four catches. Keenan Allen also caught four passes for 30 yards while Tre’ Harris added 30 yards on three receptions.

Defensively the Chargers smothered Raiders quarterback Geno Smith to the tune of five sacks. Tuli Tuipulotu notched his ninth and 10th sack of the year to set a new career high while Bud Dupree, Khalil Mack, Derwin James, and Dayan Henley all got in on the action, as well. The unit also held running back Ashton Jeanty to only 31 yards on 15 carries.

At the end of the day, the Chargers doubled the Raiders in total net yardage (341 vs. 156) and dominated the time if possession by over 11 minutes. It was the type of win the Chargers needed following the bye to raise their confidence just ahead of the final five games.

First up is a home date in primetime against the Philadelphia Eagles who are coming off a loss to the Bears on Black Friday.

For a complete live game recap, check it out below.

The Chargers win the coin toss and chose to defer. The Los Angeles defense was up first.

After a five-yard run by Ashton Jeanty on the first play of the game, Chargers pass rusher Tuli Tuipultu batted down a pass on second down and then split a sack of Geno Smith with Khalil Mack on third down to force a quick three-and-out.

The first offensive drive of the game for the Chargers was a long, methodical one that featured nine runs and five passes, culminating in a 10-yard touchdown pass from Justin Herbert to Quentin Johnston. It was the seventh touchdown grab by Johnston this season and the fifth opening-drive score of the season for the Bolts.

After taking just under nine minutes off the clock on the drive, the Chargers held a 7-0 lead late in the first quarter.

On the first play of the ensuing Raiders drive, Smith found tight end Brock Bowers on a short crosser that he took for a 27-yard gain to immediately get into Chargers territory. From there, the LA defense stepped up again with Derwin James sacking Smith on third down to force another punt.

During that Raiders drive, Justin Herbert jogged into the locker room with trainers and reports noted that they were looking at his left hand following him being tackle by Raiders safety Jeremy Chinn just before the touchdown pass to Johnston.

When the Chargers got the ball back, backup Trey Lance came into the game to lead the offense. Just before the period came to an end, Kimani Vidal ripped off a nine-yard run to give the Chargers a first down at their own 20-yard line.

Facing a third-and-10 at the LA 46-yard line, Herbert came back in to relieve Lance before throwing a dart to Allen for the first down. Thanks to an unsportsmanlike penalty on Raiders linebacker Devin White, the Bolts were given a free 15 yards which pushed them to the Raiders 29. On the next play, Herbert found tight end Oronde Gadsden II for 27 yards all the way down to the two-yard line.

After netting zero yards on two runs, Herbert tried to force an out route to Ladd McConkey near the left front pylon and it was picked by cornerback Kyu Blu Kelly. It was the 10th interception of the season for Herbert and the Raiders would take over at their own two.

Fortunately for the Bolts, the Las Vegas drive lasted two plays thanks to an interception by safety Tony Jefferson who managed to corral a batted pass just before stepping out of bounds. The Chargers would take over again at the Raiders 27-yard line, but they once again couldn’t come away with points. After a reception by Allen was short of the sticks by less than a yard on third down, the Bolts tried a handoff to Vidal up the middle but it was stuffed.

On the other side, the Raiders finally found life on offense thanks to some nice throws by Smith to both receiver Jack Bech and Bowers. On second-and-goal from Chargers six-yard line, the secondary had a miscommunication that led to a wide-open Bowers touchdown. After several Chargers blunders, it was now a 7-7 tie late in the first half.

The Chargers offense started off the second half with a bang as Kimani Vidal broke off a massive 59-yard touchdown run on the third play of the drive to instantly put the Chargers back on top 14-7 less than a minute into the half.

Tuipulotu recorded his second sack of the game to end the Raiders’ next drive and force a three-and-out. However, the Raiders sacked Herbert on back-to-back plays to force their own three-and-out against Los Angeles.

The Chargers defense continued their tough stand by forcing another three-and-out that was once again punctuated by a Tuli Tuipulotu sack. That was the juice the Chargers needed as the offense found their groove again with an eight-play, 60-yard drive capped off by a touchdown pass from Herbert to Ladd McConkey. The score increased the Chargers lead to 21-7 with 2:23 left in the third.

Las Vegas needed to put points on the board and that need forced them to roll the dice on a fourth-and-one in their own territory but the run by Jeanty was cut short of the sticks as the Chargers tripped him up short of the line to gain.

The Chargers came up short on third-and-six at the Raiders 38-yard line which brought on Cameron Dicker for the first time. He converted from 56 yards out to increase LA’s lead to 24-7.

Smith and the Raiders offense managed to make it a two-score game with a little under eight minutes to go via one of the most incredible catches you’ll ever see from Bowers who managed to snag a touchdown with one hand while falling backwards. That touchdown counted while a touchdown he caught two plays earlier was negated by a Chargers timeout.

Herbert and Co. matched the Raiders’ seven-minute drive with their own six-minute drive that ended in a rushing score by Jaret Patterson. The touchdown put the Chargers back up by 17 points and that score would hold until the clock ticked off after the Bolts forced a turnover on downs during the final Raiders drive of the game.

The Bolts move to 8-4 and will host the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday Night Football in Week 14.