Thursday Night Football Halftime Update: Raiders Spark Excitement with an Electrifying Start

Raiders’ Offensive Resurgence: O’Connell and Company Shine

Following last week’s offensive struggles, the Raiders’ offense has turned things around, commanding a 42-0 lead at halftime.

The Silver and Black opened with a 12-play, 68-yard drive culminating in a Zamir White rushing touchdown, marking the Chargers’ first opening-drive touchdown conceded this season. The next possession, a four-play, 42-yard drive, ended with a Tre Tucker touchdown.

Jakobi Meyers joined the action with a 22-yard connection from quarterback Aidan O’Connell on the third drive. The last instance of the Raiders scoring on three consecutive drives was on November 1, 2015, against the Jets.

The offensive fireworks continued with two more end-zone triumphs in an explosive first half.

Silver and Black Defensive Dominance Sparks Momentum

The Raiders’ defense set the tone by forcing a three-and-out on the Chargers’ opening drive, making it the eighth such occurrence this season—leading the NFL.

Continuing their defensive prowess, the Raiders sacked Chargers QB Easton Stick twice and limited the offense to a mere 86 total yards in the first half.

Adding to their impressive performance, the defense forced three fumbles (including one on special teams) and recovered two.

A Memorable First

In the absence of Josh Jacobs, Zamir White embraced the ‘next man up’ mentality, scoring his first career touchdown on the opening drive. Notably, wide receiver Tre Tucker also secured his inaugural touchdown—first with a deep 30-yard pass from O’Connell and another with a 20-yarder to close out the first half.

This marks the first time since Week 2 of the 2015 season that two Raiders offensive players scored their first career touchdowns in the same game.