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Paul Gutierrez, ESPN Staff Writer
LAS VEGAS — Four days after bottoming out with a record 3-0 loss to the Minnesota Vikings in the lowest-scoring indoor game in NFL history, the Las Vegas Raiders balled out against the Los Angeles Chargers, beating their AFC West rivals 63-21 on Thursday night while setting a franchise record for points scored in a game.
The 63 points were the third most scored by a team in the Super Bowl era, and the second most in NFL history by a team that was shut out in its previous game, one behind the 64 points the 1934 Eagles had against the Cincinnati Reds. The Raiders also saw their season point differential move from minus-57 to minus-1.
It was a complete demolition as the Raiders, under interim coach Antonio Pierce, ended a three-game losing streak to improve to 6-8 while scoring seven touchdowns on offense and two on defense and having five takeaways. The Raiders led 42-0 at halftime.
When receiver Jakobi Meyers hit Davante Adams for a 3-yard touchdown pass to put the Raiders up 49-0 in the third quarter, Meyers became the first non-QB this century to throw a pass with his team up by at least 40 points. Meyers also became the second Raiders player in franchise history with a passing TD and receiving TD in the same game, joining Hall of Fame running back Marcus Allen in 1983 against the Seattle Seahawks.
The Raiders’ two defensive TDs — a 44-yard fumble return by defensive tackle John Jenkins and an acrobatic 16-yard pick-six by Jack Jones — were their first pair in a game since 2006, when Nnamdi Asomugha and Chris Carr returned interceptions for scores against the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Ben Roethlisberger.
With Raiders interim offensive coordinator Bo Hardegree moving up to the press box from the field, rookie quarterback Aidan O’Connell threw deep. He entered the day just 5-for-20 with one TD and two interceptions on passes of 20-plus air yards and went 3-of-4 with three TDs on such passes in the first half. He is the first Raiders QB to throw three TDs of at least 20 yards in a game since ESPN began tracking air yards in 2006.
Las Vegas, which had scored 20 points or fewer in 11 of 13 games, had eight players score TDs. Including the playoffs, that’s tied for the second most in a game in NFL history, and the fifth time that has happened overall.
The Raiders were without All-Pro running back Josh Jacobs (quad), left tackle Kolton Miller (right shoulder) and center Andre James (right ankle) and have a lengthy break before facing the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium on Christmas Day.
The Chargers were without their two best offensive players, with star quarterback Justin Herbert out for the season following surgery to repair a fractured right index finger earlier this week and leading receiver Keenan Allen out with a heel injury.
In Herbert’s place, Easton Stick was 23-of-32 for 257 yards with three touchdowns but also threw an interception and lost two fumbles.