Welcome to the 2024 NFL regular season.

The Chargers play at home in week one against the Las Vegas Raiders in a divisional matchup that could set the tone for the start of Jim Harbaugh’s tenure as head coach.

Starting wide receiver DJ Chark was recently placed on the injured list, leaving the Bolts’ receiver room even less experienced than before. They’ll rely on Joshua Palmer to carry the load, along with youngsters Quentin Johnston and Ladd McConkey.

The Raiders will take the field with Gardner Minshew as their starting quarterback, having won the job over sophomore pass rusher Aidan O’Connell, who enjoyed six sacks by Khalil Mack in the Week Four matchup between these teams last season.

The game also marks Jesse Minter’s debut as defensive coordinator for the Chargers and he’ll get a chance to go up against All-Pro receiver Davante Adams and the talented duo of Brock Bowers and Michael Mayer.

Games in the AFC West are always fiercely competitive and this game will be no different.

For a complete quarter-by-quarter report of today’s match, click here.

First quarter

After winning the coin toss, the Raiders elected to defer. It was Chargers ball to start the game.

The first drive of the game began beyond the 35-yard line on a strong return by Derius Davis. Tight end Will Dissly caught the first pass of the game and fumbled 13 yards for a first down. Dissly was called for a false start on the next play, which ultimately derailed the drive when Raiders edge rusher Maxx Crosby stopped their second and third down plays with a stop for no gain and a sack on Herbert, respectively.

Jesse Minter’s first real drive at the helm of the defense went about as well as you could hope for, forcing a quick three-and-out. The stop was punctuated by a run that was stopped just short of the sticks by Joey Bosa and Alohi Gilman.

Dissly was given his second false start penalty on the second play of the ensuing drive, leading to another punt. Herbert was incomplete to Quentin Johnston on third down.

The Raiders got what appeared to be a first down on their second drive of the game, but the officials called it half a yard short. Antonio Pierce took a chance on a fourth-down run, but first-year Charger defensive tackle Poona Ford evaded the center’s block and held Zamir White for a loss of a yard.

The Bolts started on the Raiders’ side of the field and allowed Edwards to run for seven yards on first and second down. Unfortunately, Dissly was penalized for his third penalty of the game — this time a holding flag — which again ended the drive early. Herbert hit Johnston with a short crosser to put them back within field goal range and Cameron Dicker connected from 53 yards out to put the Bolts up 3-0 late in the first quarter.

Minshew and All-Pro receiver Davante Adams finally got on the same page when the two connected on a pair of completions for 30 yards, both on big third downs. On first-and-10 from the Chargers’ 31-yard line, Minshew hit running back Alexander Mattison in the flat, who hopped over both Asante Samuel Jr. and Daiyan Henley before closing the sideline and sprinting toward the end zone.

With 45 seconds left in the quarter, the Raiders led 7-3.

Second quarter

Third quarter

Fourth quarter