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JK Dobbins rushes for 135 yards as Chargers beat Raiders 22-10 in Jim Harbaugh’s debut
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JK Dobbins rushes for 135 yards as Chargers beat Raiders 22-10 in Jim Harbaugh’s debut

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — JK Dobbins played one of his best games in college against Jim Harbaugh.

On Sunday, Dobbins helped Harbaugh to a victory in his return to the NFL sideline.

Dobbins rushed for 135 yards on 10 carries, including a touchdown of 12 yards in the fourth quarter, when the Chargers came back in the second half to beat the Las Vegas Raiders 22-10.

“It’s good. We’re on the same page now. That’s all I can say, and we’re going to continue to work together,” said Dobbins, who signed a one-year deal with the Chargers during the offseason after starting his career in Baltimore.

Dobbins’ best game at Ohio State came against Michigan in 2019, when he ran for 211 yards and four touchdowns in the Buckeyes’ 56-27 win over Harbaugh’s Wolverines. Dobbins was a second-round pick by the Ravens in 2020 but has struggled with injuries, playing in just one game last year when he tore his Achilles tendon in the second half of Baltimore’s season opener against Houston.

Dobbins had the second- and third-longest carries of his career in the second half en route to his fifth 100-yard rushing game in the pros. His 46-yard run up the middle on third-and-1 from the LA 47-yard line set up Cameron Dicker’s third field goal to put the Bolts up 9-7 with 9:08 left in the third quarter.

On the first play of the fourth inning, Dobbins passed 12 yards from right tackle, giving the Chargers a 16-7 lead.

Midway through the fourth quarter and with Los Angeles leading 16-10, Dobbins had a 61-yard run to the Las Vegas 14. Three plays later, Herbert connected with Ladd McConkey for a 10-yard touchdown to put it out of reach. The 2-point conversion was no good.

The 8-play, 92-yard drive came after Raiders coach Antonio Pierce opted to gamble on fourth-and-1 at the Chargers 43 instead of going for it.

“When the game was on the line, we had to make good use of the run,” Pierce said. “Guys have to turn blocks. Second-tier players have to adjust. Kudos to them. They stayed consistent in their play. They didn’t beat themselves.”

Dobbins’ day was part of what could be described as a typical Harbaugh-style game. It was a balanced offense (27 run and 27 pass plays) with the defense committing three turnovers, along with a couple of short yardage stops.

In the first quarter, Poona Ford stopped Zamir White for a 1-yard loss on fourth-and-1 at the Raiders’ 40-yard line. The Chargers converted it into a Dicker field goal.

Among Los Angeles’ three forced turnovers was Khalil Mack, who returned Gardner Minshew’s fumble 22 yards to the Las Vegas 12 late in the first half. Dicker connected from 25 yards out to pull the Chargers within 7-6 at the break.

“It was a great performance. It was huge to get the early stops (on defense),” Harbaugh said. “We had a lot of three-and-outs on offense, but we were at our best when our best was needed the most.”

Safety Derwin James, who is in his seventh season with the Bolts, described it as “complementary football on all fronts.”

“This is the first time I felt like we were really playing complementary football, where the offense was struggling a little bit and we picked them up, and then we gave up a play and they came back and gave us a play, gave us a big first down,” James said.

Justin Herbert was 17 of 26 for 144 yards and a touchdown as the Chargers avenged a 63-21 loss to the Raiders last December that resulted in the firings of coach Brandon Staley and general manager Tom Telesco, setting in motion the eventual hiring of Harbaugh after he led Michigan to a national title.

“The first half definitely didn’t go our way, but to be able to put together some drives in the second half and get the defense to create some turnovers was a great team effort,” Herbert said.

Mattison magic

The Raiders took a 7-3 lead late in the first quarter when Alexander Mattison completed a screen pass 31 yards for a touchdown.

On first-and-10, Minshew checked to Mattison, who caught the ball at the 35, jumped over Chargers cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. and broke through an attempted tackle by linebacker Daiyan Henley on the right sideline at the 27 before scoring his first touchdown for the Raiders.

It was the longest play of the career of the sixth-year running back, who previously played for the Vikings.

“When you have a team playing a predominantly two-high defense, you’re going to have a lot of that,” said Minshew, who was 25 of 33 for 257 yards with a touchdown and an interception in his first game for the Raiders. “We have guys who can stretch the field and make it, so we want to find more ways to do that.”

Ejected

Chargers receiver Joshua Palmer and Raiders cornerback Josh Jones were ejected when they both… involved in a fight outside the end zone after Los Angeles’ failed 2-point conversion in the fourth quarter. Harbaugh ran onto the court to separate his players from the brawl.

Under the NFL’s fine schedule, both players face a $39,501 fine for fighting.

Injuries

Raiders: DE Tyree Wilson suffered a knee injury in the first quarter and did not return.

Next

Raiders: Next Sunday in Baltimore.

Chargers: Next Sunday at Carolina.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl