Late-Game Fight Between Raiders, Chargers Leads to Ejections

Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Jack Jones was ejected from Sunday's contest against the Los Angeles Chargers.

Sep 8, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Chargers wide receivers Joshua Palmer (5), Ladd McConkey (15) and Quentin Johnston (1) and Las Vegas Raiders safety Marcus Epps (1) and wide receiver Jaylen Johnson (39) fight as back judge Terrence Miles (111) intervenes in the second half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Las Vegas Raiders left their Week 1 matchup with the Los Angeles Chargers in bitterness on Sunday, and not just because of the 22-10 loss.

As is often the case in rivalry games, things got chippy towards the end of the contest. But what occurred late in the fourth quarter of the season opener at SoFi Stadium was more than just a scrappy engagement. It was a full-on brawl.

Players from both teams started getting into physical altercations in the end zone after the Chargers failed to execute on a 2-point conversion with less than 4 minutes remaining in the contest.

As a result, Raiders cornerback Jack Jones and Chargers wide receiver Joshua Palmer were ejected from the contest.

"They came and started throwing punches, but we're not going to be punching bags," Palmer said after the game. "So we had to defend ourselves."

Raiders coach Antonio Pierce is all for aggressiveness and not backing down. But he was not at all pleased with Sunday's brawl.

"It's just not worth it," Pierce said. "They scored, I mean, they kicked our a--. They scored. Let it go."

Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh, who is quite familiar with opponent scuffles from his time as Michigan's head coach, somewhat downplayed the altercation, calling it a "melee."

"Just trying to get our guys back, get 'em separated, keep the rest of the guys coming," Harbaugh said after Sunday's win. "I just tried to break it up."

While there is sure to be intensity from both sides when the teams meet back up in the final game of the regular season, Palmer said "it's not personal.

"UFC guys beat up each other for a living, then they go back and shake hands," he said. "Especially in football, it's nothing like that. But it's not personal at all. We just do our job as hard as we can. We're not trying to hurt anybody."

Kudos to Harbaugh and Palmer for reflecting positively on the event. Maybe their opinions would have been a bit different had they been on the losing end, though.

Sunday's fight, of course, is the least of the Raiders' concerns after their offensive implosion in Week 1. They will look to bounce back when they head to Maryland to take on the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday.

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