A third Raiders turnover sealed the game. Nakobe Dean forced a fumble on running back Omarion Hampton late in the fourth quarter as the Chargers offense was marching down the field. Jeremy Chinn recovered, setting up the Raiders offense to take a 24-14 lead on an 11-yard Kirk Cousins touchdown pass to Cody White.
In total, the Chargers fumbled the ball six times – with their last one being the most costly.
“Always satisfying, definitely with how much we talk about it,” Dean said of forcing the fumble. “We talk about it, we rep it, we got what we call ‘eat drills’ every week. Being able to do it is essentially just seeing all your work kind of come into fruition.”
“Winning pedigree, he’s a winner,” Kubiak said of Dean. “He won in college, he won in Philly, him and Quay Walker, they bring winning to the organization.”
Overall, the Raiders’ revamped defense doesn’t seem to be fluke. If the trend continues, it could be a formidable unit, especially in receiving massive contributions from the rookie class and offseason free agency additions.
But even with a 2-0 start, the main objective is staying even keel.
“We got 15 more games,” Kubiak said bluntly after the win. “I’m really proud of today, but the way that you in more is that you forget about it quick and go back to work on the next one.”
