The Chargers pulled out a narrow 22-10 win over the Raiders at home on Sunday afternoon. It wasn’t a pretty win, but it was won the way Jim Harbaugh expects: with a strong defense and a dominant running game. Both expectations came true beautifully in the fourth quarter, when the offense scored two touchdowns and the defense ended the game with a turnover.

Many players were involved in this victory. Honestly, too many to name them all. Below I’ll look at three winners and two losers from Sunday’s win against the Raiders.

winner

RB JK Dobbins

What else is there to say about Dobbins last night that hasn’t already been said.

The Ravens’ former second-round pick in 2020, who has endured a career-long series of injuries over the past three seasons, looked like his old self again as he totaled 135 rushing yards on just 10 carries against the Raiders. After a slow start on offense in the first half, the team scored two touchdowns in the second half – one of which was a 12-yard run by Dobbins – to help defeat Vegas at home in SoFi Stadium.

Dobbins completed runs of 46 and 61 yards, the latter of which helped set up the Chargers’ game-winning touchdown pass from Justin Herbert to Ladd McConkey.

After all the patience and perseverance, Dobbins’ day finally came. We hope there will be many more like her to come.

EDGE Joey Bosa

Khalil Mack may have led the team in sacks and had the better stats, but I can’t help but praise Bosa, who also had a very strong and impactful game after the persistent injuries that have plagued him the past two seasons. Everyone knows he’s a good football player when he’s healthy, and it’s extremely refreshing to see him come through Sunday’s win unscathed (as far as we know).

Bosa recorded his first sack of the year on a great bull rush that ended a Raiders charge. He also forced a fumble from running back Zamir White when he chased him from behind and knocked the ball loose on a dive. He also finished the day tied for a team lead with seven tackles, along with Derwin James and Daiyan Henley.

Please. Please, please, please let this man stay healthy.

OT Joe Alt

In his first real NFL game, Alt faced one of the toughest tasks in all of football: edge rusher Maxx Crosby.

The newcomer didn’t even flinch.

In a total of 11 pass-rush snaps in which Alt was treading water against Crosby, he allowed no pressure at all. According to NFL Pro, this was the first time since Week 9 of the 2022 season that Crosby did not record any pressure against a one-on-one matchup in a game.

Take a bow, newbie.

loser

RB Gus Edwards

Edwards was touted as the team’s future leader and RB1 for most of the offseason. While he led the Chargers’ backfield with 11 carries to Dobbins’ 10, he was significantly less efficient, averaging 2.4 yards per carry. In the end, it was Dobbins’ speed and explosiveness that earned him success against the Raiders’ front seven, which dominated the interior of the Chargers’ offensive line for most of the night.

I believe the Chargers are still on the winning track, but it’s hard not to think the backfield’s priority has shifted toward Dobbins with his great performance. Edwards’ role is likely the same for now (short yardage, goal line look), but he’ll need to show he can zip around a bit more to keep the backfield’s time split at about 50/50.

WR Joshua Palmer

No Chargers receiver rushed for more than 40 yards on Sunday. It was actually the first time in Herbert’s four-plus years in the NFL that he won a game without any of his receivers rushing for more than 40 yards, but that’s exactly how Harbaugh wants to be able to win.

As the team’s WR1, expectations have been a little higher for Palmer lately. I don’t think anyone expects him to reach 100 yards every week, but two pass catches for 15 yards isn’t what many would have expected for his first game of the season, either.

Palmer only completed four passes on the day, with both of his incomplete passes being thrown behind him so Herbert could protect his receiver. Had they been leading Palmer, he would have been staggered. The first pass came in the end zone. It looked like Palmer’s attempt to catch it was too short and the ball slipped off his fingertips. The second was a more difficult catch that bounced off his hands and was nearly intercepted.

The Chargers will likely have more success through the air against the porous Panthers defense that allowed just 47 points to the Saints, so I expect Palmer to be a candidate for a big comeback away game.