Instant Replay: Carr, Raiders torch Chargers on road

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SAN DIEGO –- The Raiders had two weeks to stew in opportunities lost. They rued a somewhat respectable 2-3 record, while visions of 4-1 danced in their heads. The Raiders let victory slip late against the Chicago Bears, and left as losers after keeping quarterback Peyton Manning and the Broncos offense out of the end zone.

Those results left the Raiders questing for a more complete game, one void of costly, victory-sapping mistakes. They put one together on Sunday afternoon, dominating the San Diego Chargers 37-29 in front of a Qualcomm Stadium crowd with more Raiders fans than not.

The Raiders hadn’t blown another team out in some time. That’s what stretches of futility will do. The Raiders won close or, more often, didn’t win at all during the down period. On Sunday, they combined steady offensive production with stingy defense missing from earlier-season efforts.

The Raiders defense went more than nine quarters without allowing a touchdown, a streak snapped by Ladarius Green’s fourth-quarter TD catch from Philip Rivers. Rivers was the Raiders’ largest cause for concern heading into this contest, fresh off of statistically marvelous performances.

The Raiders limited his effectiveness. And while he finished with 336 yards and three touchdowns on 38-for-58 passing, most of that total came after the Raiders had the game under control. While Rivers didn’t get sacked much, he was forced into errant throws and fell victim to batted passes.

[RELATED: Raiders WR Cooper hits record books, joins Moss, Boldin]

Conversely, Carr was pretty darn good. He found and early rhythm and sustainted it, completing 24-of-31 passes for 289 yards, three touchdowns and a sterling 137.7 passer rating.

He connected with Amari Cooper deep and short. He found upstart tight end Clive Walford down the sideline for a 23-yard touchdown. Cooper had over 100 yards receiving for the third time this year, Carr sniffed 300 yards and Latavius Murray had 85 yards and a whopping 5.7 yards per carry.

Marquette King punted for the first time late in the third quarter, which ended a run of offensive dominance that established a massive early lead that withstood a late Chargers scoring surge.

San Diego pushed its point total up to 29 by the end of the game, but they never threatened to overtake Oakland's comfortable lead. 

The Raiders equaled last year’s win total in just six weeks, a mark that shows head coach Jack Del Rio’s team is making real strides over recent seasons.

There are stats aplenty illustrating Sunday’s win as the most dominant in recent memory, but it was clear just by watching that Silver and Black finally put a complete game together.

They stand alone in second place in the AFC West through seven weeks, and will try to continue this positive surge at home against the New York Jets.

Early turnovers pay off: The Raiders hot start was predicated by a pair of early interceptions. Malcolm Smith picked Philip Rivers off on the game’s opening drive and returned it to the Chargers’ two-yard line. Latavius Murray scored a few plays later.

Then DJ Hayden got in on the interception act, snagging a wide Rivers pass while covering Keenan Allen. That also came in Chargers territory, and the Raiders cashed in with a 32-yard field goal from Sebastian Janikowski.

Cooper blows up early: Amari had another first half to remember. The No. 4 overall pick caught passes long and short, producing four catches for 117 yards and a touchdown. His scoring catch hit him in stride just beyond the line of scrimmage. He was escorted downfield by Donald Penn and Rodney Hudson but, once he hit the open field, Cooper juked a safety and broke away with great speed.

Cooper is now the third rookie since 1970 to have more than 500 yards through the first six games of an NFL career. The others to do so were Anquan Boldin and Rndy Moss.

Cooper finished with five catches for 133 yards and a touchdown in this game.

Home away from home: The Raiders defense waved their hands up to the sky, asking the Silver and Black faithful to pump up the volume. They wanted noise and got it, with the crowd roaring in response.

That happens often at home. Never on the road. Not on Sunday. Raiders fans invaded Qualcomm Stadium, skewed fan allegiance and cheered on the team’s first AFC West road win since 2012.

Raiders fans often arrive en masse for the San Diego game -– it’s the closest game for L.A. Raiders fans – but they had a shockingly high volume and something to cheer for in this blowout.

Injury update: Rookie linebacker Neiron Ball, who was a cover man on passing downs, suffered a knee injury in the first half and did not return.

Sitting it out: The Raiders were thinned along the defensive line with Denico Autry (concussion) and Justin Ellis (ankle) due to injury. That left Mario Edwards, C.J. Wilson and Stacy McGee to play steady snaps on the interior line.

The Raiders also deemed receiver Rod Streater, returner Walt Powell, offensive linemen Matt McCants and Jon Feliciano and cornerback Dexter McDonald were also rule inactive.

What's next: The Raiders return home for a Week 8 clash with the New York Jets, fresh off a tough loss to the New England Patriots. The Jets have a top defense, and have been good at keeping point totals low. The Raiders need to carry positive momentum into what should be a physical matchup.

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