The Chargers only scored one touchdown Monday night against the Raiders.
But with Nate Kaeding kicking five field goals in five attempts, and the Raiders imploding on special teams after an injury to long snapper Jon Condo, one touchdown was enough for the Chargers to capture a 22-14 season-opening victory over the Raiders at the O.co Coliseum.
This marked Kaeding’s first regular-season game since suffering a knee injury in the 2011 opener against Minnesota that ended his season. “It’s certainly special for me,” Kaeding said.
The same couldn’t be said for Raiders linebacker Travis Goethel, who filled in at long snapper after Condo was injured. He had two bad snaps that led to two Kaeding field goals. The Chargers also blocked a punt.
When the game turned: Condo suffered a head injury early in the second quarter while covering a punt and was knocked out of the game. Goethel, who hadn’t long-snapped since high school, took over with disastrous results. He bounced one punt snap and rolled another to Shane Lechler, who was buried twice in Raiders territory. The Chargers also blocked a punt when Dante Rosario came all but untouched up the middle.
Highlight moments: Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers put San Diego up 10-3 late in the second quarter when he spotted Malcom Floyd wide open in the end zone and hit him with a 6-yard TD pass. Chargers wide-out Robert Meachem grabbed a 46-yard pass from Rivers in the first half.
Top-shelf performances: Darren McFadden caught a career-high 13 passes for 86 yards, setting a Raiders franchise record for catches by a wide receiver. He was one catch off the overall team single-game record set by Tim Brown in 1997 vs. Jacksonville.
What they said about the Raiders’ problems at long snapper:
- Raiders punter Shane Lechler -- “My hat’s off to him just for doing it. That ain’t easy. He went out and did his best. That’s all you can ask from a guy to get put in a situation like that.”
- Chargers kicker Nate Kaeding -- “A couple three years back, we had some serious issues on our special teams. Pretty much everything. Kicks returned, punts blocked, that sort of thing. I can imagine you’re going to see 31 other teams working a lot of backup long snappers come Wednesday. It’s something a lot of teams don’t do a lot of. It’s just one play away from someone having to go in there and get it done."
Numbers you should know: Raiders QB Carson Palmer -- 32 of 46 for 297 yards and 1 TD with no interceptions and a 94.2 passer rating; Rivers -- 24 of 33 for 231 yards and 1 TD with no interceptions and a 102.0 passer rating; Floyd -- four catches, 66 yards, 1 TD.
Injury update: Raiders starting left corner Ron Bartell suffered a shoulder injury in the first half and didn’t return. Condo suffered a first-half head injury. Both will be evaluated, Raiders coach Dennis Allen said.
Going forward: The Raiders have to travel cross country to face the Miami Dolphins in a short week. If they fall to 0-2, they could easily drop to 0-4 with games at home against Pittsburgh and away against Denver upcoming. This is a huge game. San Diego has back-to-back home games against Tennessee and Atlanta. The Chargers have a history of slow starts under Norv Turner, but they have a chance to get off to a fast start this season.
Follow Raiders reporter Eric Gilmore on Twitter: @CBSRaiders.