OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) -Michael Bush ran 4 yards for a touchdown and the Oakland defense made several key plays to stymie San Diego and take a 7-0 lead over the Chargers after the first quarter Monday night.
lt right away, sacking Philip Rivers for a 5-yard loss in his debut in front of the Black Hole. Fellow new Raider Greg Ellis then forced a fumble by LaDainian Tomlinson that was recovered by Michael Huff. It was Tomlinson’s first fumble since Oct. 27, 2006.
The Raiders outgained the Chargers 135-17 in the first quarter, getting as many yards on their first play – Bush’s 17-yard run – as the Chargers had in the whole period.
Oakland opened the game with both of its tailbacks on the field, moving Darren McFadden in motion as a receiver and keeping Bush in the backfield. Bush ran for 17 yards on the first play and that kept up all quarter.
The first drive ended without points when JaMarcus Russell threw an interception to Quentin Jammer from the San Diego 25.
After holding the Chargers to a three-and-out, Oakland moved the ball right down the field again, getting a 30-yard completion from Russell to Zach Miller. Bush capped the drive with the 4-yard run on third-and-goal to make it 7-0.
The Raiders lost left guard Robert Gallery to a back injury midway through the second quarter. Center Chris Morris moved to guard and Samson Satele came in to play center.
Oakland is desperate to get back on track under coach Tom Cable.
These teams met on Monday night in the 2006 opener, with Chargers winning 27-0. The Raiders have lost their last 10 appearances in prime time, dating to the start of the 2005 season and have been outscored 151-33 over the last six of those games.
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