Justin Herbert and Chargers secure AFC's No. 5 seed with 34-20 win over Raiders

LAS VEGAS -- — Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert said he could tell from the noise his teammates made from neighboring meeting rooms on Saturday “that good things were happening.”

Los Angeles needed the Steelers to lose to the Bengals that night to have a shot at the fifth seed in the AFC playoffs. Cincinnati did its part by beating Pittsburgh, which provided the Chargers with a big opportunity Sunday.

They had some early red-zone troubles, but behind Herbert's 346 yards passing and two touchdowns, the Chargers secured that No. 5 seed with a 34-20 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders.

The Chargers (11-6) closed the regular season with a three-game winning streak under first-year coach Jim Harbaugh and will visit the fourth-seeded Houston Texans (10-7) on Saturday.

Had they lost, they would have faced Baltimore in the latest edition of the Harbaugh Bowl. John Harbaugh coaches the Ravens and has never lost to his younger brother.

“I'm very proud of the way the team played, starting with the quarterback,” Jim Harbaugh said. “I'm not going to say unbelievable because I believe it and I see it every day. But there were throws that he was making ... that were like handoffs. They were right where you would put it if you were handing the ball off on a running play. Just incredible game by him.”

Las Vegas, which had won back-to-back games, finished 4-13 with coach Antonio Pierce on the hot seat. Pierce twice said “no comment” when asked about his future.

This was the Chargers' first victory at Las Vegas since 2020 and their first season sweep of their AFC West rival since 2018. That also was the last time the Chargers won at least 11 games.

Herbert showed off his arm and legs, taking off for a 41-yard run in the third quarter to set up a 2-yard touchdown pass to Will Dissly for a 27-13 lead.

His top target was Quentin Johnston, the second-year pro who set career highs with 13 receptions for 186 yards. Johnston had been criticized for dropping a key pass in a 30-23 loss to the Ravens on Nov. 25.

“He's playing the right football at the right time,” Herbert said. “He's confident. He's having fun. You can tell. He's feeling it, and whenever he's doing that, you've got to get him the ball no matter how it is.”

Ladd McConkey caught five passes for 95 yards, his 10th consecutive game with at least 50 yards to break the rookie record that Odell Beckham Jr. set in 2014. His 82 receptions for 1,149 yards are Chargers rookie records.

J.K. Dobbins rushed for 63 yards to finish with 905 on the season.

Aidan O'Connell passed for 214 yards and two touchdowns for the Raiders, and Jakobi Meyers caught nine passes for 123 yards and a TD. Meyers topped 1,000 yards for the first time in his six-year career, becoming the 11th undrafted free agent to accomplish that.

Brock Bowers had four catches for 50 yards and a touchdown to finish the season with 1,194 yards, falling just short of becoming the ninth tight end with 1,200 in a season.

The Chargers outgained the Raiders 473 yards to 264, but failed to score touchdowns on three of their first four trips to the red zone to keep the game close. Las Vegas led most of the first half and appeared set to take a 10-9 lead into halftime.

But O'Connell's dump-off pass to running back Alexander Mattison was intercepted by Chargers linebacker Daiyan Henley to give Los Angeles possession at the Raiders 30-yard line. That set up Herbert's 6-yard TD pass to DJ Chark and 2-point pass to McConkey for a 17-10 lead with 10 seconds left.

The Chargers never trailed again.

“When we got that pick, it sent a surge of energy because it was a little down going into that drive,” Henley said. “And then you see Justin Herbert, what he does when that ball is in his hands.”

This was quite a different feeling for the Chargers the last time they were at Allegiant Stadium. Las Vegas had its way with a 63-21 victory that led to the firings of coach Brandon Staley and general manager Tom Telesco the next day.

Now LA is preparing for the playoffs while the Raiders — where Telesco is now GM — get ready for an offseason of major questions, beginning with whether Pierce is given another shot.

“I really like AP as a coach,” Bowers said. “We'll see what happens. It's up to certain people and not us. But I really liked playing for him and I thought he was a great coach.”

Injuries

Chargers: RB Gus Edwards (ankle) and WR Josh Palmer (foot) did not play, and T Rashawn Slater (knee) was scratched after what was described by the team as discomfort in pregame stretches. G Trey Pipkins (oblique) left early in the third quarter.

Raiders: RB Ameer Abdullah (foot) and CB Nate Hobbs (illness) did not play.

Up next

Chargers: At AFC South champion Houston on Saturday. This is their first playoff appearance since 2022 and second since 2018.

Raiders: In addition to Pierce, they must decide whether to stick with O'Connell or make a change at quarterback.

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