Hezekiah Masses turned his first NFL start into a two-interception statement Sunday, helping the Las Vegas Raiders beat the Los Angeles Chargers 26-14 at SoFi Stadium. Starting in place of injured cornerback Darien Porter, the rookie repeatedly delivered in a game defined by defensive pressure, turnovers and wild momentum swings.
The Raiders improved to 2-0 and gave Klint Kubiak his first AFC West victory as a head coach. Kubiak spent the week warning his team not to get comfortable after beating Miami in the opener.
“Hopefully they’re mature enough to know that one of 17 is nothing,” Kubiak said Friday. “It’s 17 one-game seasons, so that’s the way we approach it.”
Two games into Kubiak’s tenure, Las Vegas has won both.
Masses turns first NFL start into a breakthrough
Masses wasted little time making his presence felt. He stopped Omarion Hampton for a 2-yard loss early, then intercepted Justin Herbert in the first quarter after David Njoku juggled a pass.
Masses returned the interception 29 yards to the Chargers 23. The Raiders failed to score after reaching the 1, but the rookie had already announced himself in a secondary missing Porter.
His second interception came with 2:29 remaining. Masses intercepted Herbert at the Chargers 48 as Los Angeles tried to stay alive against a 10-point deficit.
Masses finished with five tackles, one tackle for loss, two passes defended and two interceptions. The Raiders intercepted Herbert twice and forced three Los Angeles turnovers overall.
Cousins answers early mistake with three touchdowns
Kirk Cousins’ afternoon started poorly when Tre Tucker slipped on a route and Cam Hart intercepted the pass on Las Vegas’ opening possession. Cousins recovered quickly.
He finished 19-of-29 for 253 yards, three touchdowns and one interception, posting a 113.1 passer rating. Cousins repeatedly attacked downfield even as the Raiders struggled to generate much on the ground.
Tucker drove the passing game with five catches for 119 yards. His 40-yard touchdown in the second quarter gave Las Vegas a 7-0 lead, and his 42-yard reception while Cousins absorbed a hit set up Matt Gay’s career-long 59-yard field goal just before halftime.
Cody White became the unexpected red-zone finisher. He caught only two passes, but both went for touchdowns, including a 13-yard score on 3rd-and-10 in the third quarter and an 11-yard touchdown with 2:59 remaining.
The second score gave Las Vegas a 24-14 lead and finally created breathing room in a game that had refused to settle down.
Dean changes the fourth quarter
Nakobe Dean was everywhere when the Raiders needed him most.
Dean finished with 10 tackles, two quarterback hits and half a sack. More important, he delivered two of the biggest defensive plays of the fourth quarter.
First, Dean diagnosed a third-down draw and stuffed Hampton for no gain, forcing a punt. Later, after Las Vegas was flagged for having too many men on the field following a timeout, Dean immediately erased the mistake.
Hampton ran up the middle, Dean knocked the ball loose and Jeremy Chinn recovered at the Raiders 41. Chinn returned it 43 yards to the Chargers 16, setting up White’s second touchdown.
That sequence captured the Raiders’ day. Las Vegas made enough mistakes to keep Los Angeles alive, then repeatedly answered those mistakes with impact plays.
Crosby pressure finishes it
Maxx Crosby did not need a huge sack total to control his matchup with Joe Alt. Crosby pressured Herbert throughout the afternoon and repeatedly stressed the Chargers’ protection.
The final example came with 1:41 remaining and Los Angeles backed up at its own 6. Alt held Crosby in the end zone, resulting in a safety that pushed the Raiders’ lead to 26-14.
Malcolm Koonce added 1.5 sacks and two quarterback hits, while Eric Stokes recorded a sack that forced Herbert to fumble near his own goal line. Las Vegas finished with three sacks and nine quarterback hits.
The performance mattered because the Raiders could not lean on the formula that carried them in Week 1. Ashton Jeanty managed 48 yards on 21 carries, while Las Vegas rushed for only 57 yards and 2.0 yards per attempt.
Los Angeles ran for 127 yards and controlled possession for much of the afternoon, yet the Raiders won the turnover battle 3-1 and consistently produced the game’s biggest plays.
Kubiak said Friday that every NFL Sunday should be approached as a desperate game. His team played that way when the fourth quarter became chaotic, and Las Vegas left SoFi Stadium 2-0 after another defense-driven finish.
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Dice City Sports editor Mark Hebert covers the Las Vegas Aces, Vegas Golden Knights, Las Vegas Raiders, Athletics, and UNLV baseball and softball. He has 24 years of journalism experience, is also a senior reporter at Exhibit City News, and previously covered the Dallas Stars and Texas Rangers. Follow him on X or connect on LinkedIn.
