SI

Al Michaels Annihilated Chargers From Booth for ‘Nightmare’ Effort vs. Raiders

The broadcaster didn’t hold back during a historically bad first half.

Tom Dierberger

In this story:

The Chargers are simply not having a good time on Thursday Night Football. 

Al Michaels seems to be making the most of the blowout, as the legendary broadcaster watched Los Angeles fall behind the Raiders 42–0 in the first half.

“If this were Pop Warner, they’d stop the game, right?” Michaels asked analyst Kirk Herbstreit shortly after Las Vegas took a 42-point lead.

The two broadcasters also watched as the Chargers’ defense allowed running back Brandon Bolden to easily score on a 26-yard touchdown run for a 35–0 lead.

“The Chargers ... not great effort on that play, especially with the tackling,” Herbstreit said. "They look defeated here already with 3:50 to go in the first half.”

Los Angeles fumbled the ball four times in the first half, turning the ball over three times. 

“Just a disaster for the Chargers,” Herbstreit said.

“Complete nightmare for the Chargers,” Michaels added.

The Raiders also received the kickoff to open the second half and marched down the field to score their seventh touchdown of the night for a 49–0 lead. The Chargers finally got on the board on the first play of the next drive with a 79-yard touchdown pass from Easton Stick to Josh Palmer.

Published
Tom Dierberger
TOM DIERBERGER

Tom Dierberger is a staff writer and editor on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He joined SI in November 2023 after stints at FOX Sports, Bally Sports and NBC Sports. Dierberger has a bachelor's in communication from St. John's University. In his spare time, he can be seen throwing out his arm while playing fetch with his dog, Walter B. Boy.

Home/NFL