Cousins, White Power Raiders Past Chargers 26-14.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Kirk Cousins threw three touchdown passes, including two to Cody White, as the Las Vegas Raiders defeated the Los Angeles Chargers 26-14 on Sunday in the teams’ AFC West opener. Las Vegas improved to 2-0 with another strong performance from Cousins, who completed 19 of 29 passes for 253 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. He was sacked twice. White provided the Raiders with two of their most important plays. He caught a 13-yard touchdown pass from Cousins in the third quarter to put Las Vegas back in front, then added an 11-yard touchdown reception in the fourth quarter to help seal the victory. It was the first multi-touchdown game of White’s career.

White had been elevated from the Raiders’ practice squad one day before the game. He also played in Las Vegas’ season-opening win over Miami but did not record a reception. The Chargers briefly moved ahead 14-10 in the third quarter when Justin Herbert connected with Oronde Gadsden for a 10-yard touchdown. Las Vegas answered on its next scoring opportunity. Cousins found White for the first of their two touchdown connections, giving the Raiders a lead they would not surrender. The Raiders also received a major contribution from their defense late in the game. With Las Vegas leading 17-14, Jeremy Chinn recovered an Omarion Hampton fumble and returned it 43 yards to the Chargers’ 16-yard line with 3:52 remaining. Hampton has now lost a fumble in each of Los Angeles’ first two games. Cousins quickly took advantage of the short field. The Raiders needed only three plays to reach the end zone, with White catching his second touchdown of the afternoon to make it 24-14.

Las Vegas took an early lead when Tre Tucker scored on a 40-yard touchdown reception after the Chargers lost coverage. Matt Gay later connected on a career-best 59-yard field goal, giving the Raiders a 10-7 advantage before halftime. Los Angeles struggled to maintain possession and finished the game with six fumbles. Herbert completed 15 of 26 passes for 192 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. He was also sacked three times. The Chargers had additional problems with penalties. Offensive tackle Joe Alt was called for three false starts and an offensive holding penalty that resulted in a Raiders safety late in the game. Los Angeles began the game with a chance to score, but Cameron Dicker’s 58-yard field-goal attempt hit the crossbar. The Chargers fell to 0-2 after also losing to Arizona in Week 1. The start marked the first 0-2 opening of Jim Harbaugh’s college or professional coaching career. Los Angeles also dealt with several injuries. Safety Derwin James Jr. left briefly with a hand injury before returning before halftime. Tight end David Njoku was taken from the field on a cart after suffering a knee injury in the second quarter and did not return. Defensive lineman Dalvin Tomlinson was injured in the fourth quarter. Raiders safety Treydan Stukes was injured during the third quarter. Las Vegas will travel to New Orleans next Sunday. The Chargers will play their first road game of the season when they visit the undefeated Buffalo Bills.