INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Davante Adams tucked a football into his duffel bag before turning around to speak to a throng of reporters at his locker following the Raiders’ 24-19 loss to the Chargers at SoFi Stadium on Sunday.
He confirmed it was the ball he had secured for his first touchdown with his new team after spending the first eight seasons of his career in Green Bay.
“It’s kind of a turning the page and starting a new chapter in my career,” he said of what the memento meant to him. “To be able to get in the end zone for my childhood team is something that meant a lot to me. Obviously it didn’t end up winning the game, but at the end of the day it still means a lot.”
It was one of 17 passes thrown in the direction of Adams, who finished the game with 10 catches for 141 yards.
That tied for the third-most targets the star pass catcher has ever seen in a game during his illustrious career. He insists he was ready for the workload.
“That’s what they brought me here for, to be a big part of this offense and help move the ball and put points on the board,” he said. “That’s my job. That’s what I’m ready to do. I’m a volume-type guy. I’m always ready for that.”
Adams pointed out the benefit of having so many other weapons around him on this team. When opponents start adjusting to take him away, he said somebody else will feast.
“The most important thing is for the team to do well,” he said. “But if I’m a big part of it in any given game, I’m expecting it.”
So close
Running back Josh Jacobs believed he should have scored on a first-down carry from the 4-yard line in the first quarter.
Jacobs took a pitch around the left edge and was out in space with Foster Moreau engaged with Khalil Mack in front of him and a safety behind them.
As Jacobs went to make his cut upfield, he was unable to maintain his footing and went to the turf
“It was a clear, easy walk-in,” he said after the game. “I slipped. I just put that on me. We have to be better.”
After two incompletions, the Raiders had to settle for a field goal that tied the score at 3-3.
Jacobs was still thinking about the play after the game. “I knew the safety was already outside,” Jacobs said of how he saw the play unfolding in front of him. “There was literally nobody there. If he was going to meet me at the goal line, his best bet was to hit me from the side. It was an easy walk-in. I think I just got a little too happy in my mind. (My eyes) got too big and I slipped. I have to be better with that.”
Jacobs finished with 57 yards on 10 carries, adding another 16 yards on his lone reception of the game.
Injury report
Andre James was smiling and seemed to be in good spirits as he was loaded into an ambulance just outside the Raiders’ locker room at SoFi Stadium after the game. The Raiders’ center was being evaluated for a concussion, according to the team.
James and Joey Bosa appeared to clash helmets as they both dove to recover a loose ball on the Raiders’ final offensive play. James was briefly seen wearing sunglasses in the locker room after the game.
While the Raiders entered the game a healthy group, they didn’t end it that way.
Cornerback Anthony Averett left with a thumb injury. Safety Tre’von Moehrig suffered a hip injury and did not return to action, and running back Brandon Bolden departed with a hamstring injury after scoring a touchdown.
Linebacker Denzel Perryman and wide receiver D.J. Turner both sustained ankle injuries.
Keep it clean
The Raiders were docked for just three penalties, equaling the season-low from last year from the home win over the Broncos in December.
Only 11 yards were marked off against the Raiders, the fewest since they were only docked 10 yards in a road win over the Chargers in November 2020. It also marked the fifth-fewest penalty yards enforced against the Raiders in any game since 2000.
Contact Adam Hill at [email protected]. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on Twitter.
