LAS VEGAS–The Las Vegas Raiders season ends with a whimper instead of a bang.
On Sunday, the Raiders dropped their season finale 34-20 to the Los Angeles Chargers at Allegiant Stadium.
The Raiders finish the season 4-13 and will hold the sixth overall pick heading into April’s draft. The Chargers go to 11-6 and will now prepare for the postseason to take on the Houston Texans in the wild card round.
Here are three takeaways from the final Raiders game of the season:
Herbert dominates
The Chargers boast one of the best quarterbacks in the game in Justin Herbert, and he proved exactly why in this game.
Looking for momentum to go into the playoffs with, Herbert punished the Raiders all game with efficient play and an ability to hit long passes out of nothing.
Herbert finished the game completing 28 of 36 passes for 346 yards and two touchdowns. He also added 43 rushing yards on three carries, with 42 coming on a long run to start the fourth quarter for the ultimate game-winning drive.
It was always going to be a challenge to contain Herbert, and the Raiders were unable to do so this time.
Momentum shift
The Raiders picked a bad time to commit their first turnover in three weeks.
Still holding the lead in the second quarter, the Raiders tried to run a two-minute drill to add more points on the board.
Unfortunately, quarterback Aidan O’Connell threw an interception to Chargers linebacker Daiyan Henley to give them prime field position.
Herbert would ensure the Chargers would take advantage of the mistake, throwing a touchdown to wide receiver D.J. Chark and a two-point conversion to rookie receiver Ladd McConkey.
The shift would turn the game further against the Raiders, who mustered only three points in the second half as the Chargers never gave up the lead.
Hurt by the unexpected
This time last season, Raiders fans joined in on the NFL-wide laughter of wide receiver Quentin Johnston. With his drop issues, many questioned whether Johnston would stick in the NFL, let alone live up to his first-round pedigree.
In this game, Johnston would get the last laugh on the Raiders with a career-best performance.
Johnston lit up the Raiders secondary all game, finishing with career highs in receptions and yards with 13 and 186, respectively.
While living up to his draft status is still to be determined, the Chargers will be pleased with performances like this from their 2023 first-round pick. Meanwhile, the Raiders will now have to worry about another receiving threat when the two teams meet.
It is on to the offseason for the Raiders, where serious questions about coaching and roster construction will be answered.
FANS REACT: Raiders lament lost season, call for change after Chargers loss
