Chargers defeat Raiders 20-6 for sixth straight win

Philip Rivers threw a pair of touchdown passes and Melvin Gordon totaled 165 yards from scrimmage and a score as the Los Angeles Chargers defeated the host Oakland Raiders 20-6 on Sunday for their sixth straight victory. Rivers was 18 of 26 for 223 yards, including a 66-yard TD pass to Gordon on the opening drive of the second half to make it 17-3 as Los Angeles (7-2) maintained pace behind first-place Kansas City (9-1) in the AFC West. "You got to win these games," Rivers told reporters. "Just find a way to win them. It doesn't matter. I don't care how pretty they are, I don't care what the ratings are, all those things, third-down percentage (2 for 10). Yes, we acknowledge those and know we have to improve in those areas, but it's just find a way to win." Gordon became the second player since 2007 to record 120 or more yards from scrimmage and a touchdown in five straight games, equaling the run of the Chiefs' Jamal Charles in 2013. Los Angeles took advantage of an all-out blitz on Gordon's touchdown. "I knew they were bringing the house," Rivers said. "I wasn't sure if their linebacker was going to peel out Melvin or not. Then when he didn't, I wanted to get it to him when he felt the corner fall off. Once he made the corner miss, I knew there was nobody left. That was a huge play in the game." Rivers' first TD pass was an 11-yarder to Keenan Allen with 24 seconds left in the first half that gave the Chargers a 10-lead. Los Angeles' Mike Badgley made field goals of 27 and 41 yards. Oakland's offense consisted of field goals by Daniel Carlson -- a 46-yarder in the first quarter and a 30-yarder in the fourth that trimmed the deficit to 17-6 with 14:49 remaining. The Raiders (1-8) finished with 317 yards to the Chargers' 335. "I felt we moved it pretty well all day,'' Oakland quarterback Derek Carr, who was 24 of 37 for 243 yards, told reporters. "I think we didn't in the red zone and touchdowns, 0-3 in the red zone -- that's terrible. We have to work on that." The Raiders have lost five straight. "This will be a year that a lot of us will never forget," Oakland coach Jon Gruden told reporters. "It's painful. It's really hard. It's going to be hard to sleep again, hard to get up in the morning." The Raiders outgained Los Angeles 135-6 in the first quarter. Their best chance to score came when wide receiver Dwayne Harris was stopped on fourth-and-goal at the 1. Gordon caught five passes for 72 yards and Allen contributed 57 yards on six receptions. The Chargers sacked Carr four times with defensive end Isaac Rochell recording 1.5. Doug Martin rushed for a team-high 61 yards for Oakland. The Raiders visit Arizona (2-7) next week while Los Angeles hosts Denver (3-6).