The Los Angeles Chargers' offense was stuck in neutral for the first 25 minutes

of Sunday's game against the Oakland Raiders. A broken play provided the needed spark.The game was tied 3-3 until Austin Ekeler took Philip Rivers' swing pass and turned into a 44-yard touchdown . That was part of 19 straight points by the Chargers en route to their 26-10 victory over the Raiders."We were doing OK. We weren't playing great but that kind of sparked it Color Rush Philip Rivers Jersey ," said Rivers, who threw for 339 yards and two touchdowns. "We got another stop and then punched it in. I felt then we were in control the rest of the way."Rivers bobbled the shotgun snap on the first-and-10 play, but quickly corralled it and got it to Ekeler while three Oakland players were blitzing. The second-year running back eluded two Raiders at the 40 and then got a good block from Keenan Allen up the left sideline to score his third touchdown of the season with 4:04 remaining in the second quarter."I just saw the pressure coming off the edge. And it was a hot call, so it was coming to me right away," Ekeler said. "I just ended up catching the ball and looking downfield from there."The Ekeler touchdown was one of four plays of 25 yards or more for the Chargers (3-2), who are third in the league with 29 plays of 20 yards or more; the Rams and Chiefs each have 30.All of that added up to Rivers' 59th 300-yard passing game of his 15-year career and his eighth against the Raiders. He completed 22 of 27 passes and had a passer rating of 143.4.Melvin Gordon had 120 yards from scrimmage (58 rushing, 62 receiving). His 1-yard run during the second quarter gave Los Angeles (3-2) a 17-3 lead at halftime. The scoring drive started after Jahleel Addae recovered a Martavis Bryant fumble at the Raiders 45.The Chargers' defense had three sacks and forced two turnovers which resulted in 13 points. Oakland's Marshawn Lynch came into the game fourth in the league in rushing but was held to 31 yards on nine carries."It's an energy game, man, and you got good energy built all around you Youth Austin Ekeler Jersey , that's what it is all about," Gordon said. "We got to feel off that. That's how we become a great team."Derek Carr was 24 of 33 for 268 yards for the Raiders (1-4). He accounted for Oakland's lone touchdown in the fourth quarter on a 1-yard pass to Jordy Nelson which brought the Raiders within 26-10.He also had a costly interception in the end zone to Melvin Ingram during the third quarter. The Chargers turned that into a 96-yard, eight-play drive that was capped with Rivers' 13-yard TD pass to Virgil Green early in the fourth period."We had bad plays today," Raiders coach Jon Gruden said. "I think we pressed a little bit. The play calling needs to improve. That's my job. We've got to play better collectively than we did today."HOME SWEET HOME?The crowd at StubHub Center was predominantly Raiders fans, but it didn't matter to the Chargers, who have won seven of their last eight at their temporary home until the new stadium at Inglewood opens in 2020.In order to silence their "home" crowd, the Chargers did take the ball on offense after they won the coin toss. They turned that into a seven-play drive and a 49-yard field goal by Caleb Sturgis.TWO FIRSTS FOR INGRAMIngram's third-quarter interception was his first in 82 regular-season games. He did have an interception in the 2013 playoffs against Cincinnati.The seventh-year defensive end also got his first NFL carry in the second quarter on second-and-goal from the Oakland 1 but was stopped for no gain."I touch the ball all the time in practice. It was just fun," Ingram said. "Being in the offensive huddle it felt like I was at home."NEW HOLDER, SAME RESULTThe Chargers signed punter Donnie Jones to be the new holder for Sturgis Youth Darius Philon Jersey , but Sturgis still missed an extra point.Sturgis' PAT attempt after the Green touchdown bounced off the upright for his fourth miss of the season and third in the past two games. The sixth-year kicker has missed four extra points this season, equaling the amount he had over three seasons in Philadelphia from 2015-17.Sturgis was also 2 of 3 on field goals. His 48-yard attempt on the last play of the first half was on line until it veered wide left at the last moment."The extra point did bother me a little bit, but we'll figure out what happened there," Chargers coach Anthony Lynn said. "He's been kicking with a lot of confidence, so I'm not concerned about it."UP NEXTRaiders: face Seahawks next Sunday in London.Chargers: at Browns next Sunday.Follow Joe Reedy at joereedy A 2-2 record after the first quarter of the season is not where Philip Rivers thought the Los Angeles Chargers would be, but it is a vast improvement compared to the past couple seasons.The Chargers got to .500 with a 29-27 victory over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday. It is the first time since 2015 they are even after four games and better than their 0-4 start to last season.If the Chargers are going to start stringing together wins, the next two weeks present a prime opportunity. They host Oakland (1-3) next Sunday and then are at Cleveland (1-2-1) on Oct. 14. The Chargers then have an Oct. 21 game at London against Tennessee (3-1) before their bye week.For a team that won six of its final nine games last season, the Chargers know that they need to position themselves well before November to make a run for their first postseason berth since 2013."We've got to go. We can't keep going win for loss the whole way there. We know what that does — that usually leaves you on the outside looking in," said Rivers Youth Virgil Green Jersey , who was 25 of 39 for 250 yards with three TD passes and an interception. "Now we have a chance to win two in a row next week with the Raiders coming in."Rivers did end up reaching a couple milestones in Sunday's game. It marked the 200th game of his career and he passed John Elway for the eighth-most passing yards in NFL history. Rivers has 51,504 yards in 15 seasons.Coach Anthony Lynn and Rivers have talked all year about the versatility of the offense, and they showed it off on Sunday. Rivers completed passes to eight players while running backs Melvin Gordon and Austin Ekeler averaged 5.6 yards per carry against a Niners defense that was 10th against the run and allowing only 97 yards per game."I think last year when we were rolling, we were balanced. We've been that this year for the most part," said Rivers who has thrown for three or more touchdowns in five of the past six games.BEATHARD MAKES STRIDESSan Francisco's C.J. Beathard showed improvement from his rookie season. The second-year quarterback was 23 of 37 for 298 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. His 82.9 passer rating is his second highest in six career starts."I felt a lot more comfortable being out there in control. I definitely felt a lot more comfortable than last year," he said.Beathard's best throw of the day came on an 82-yard touchdown to George Kittle, where he found a wide open Kittle at the at the Niners' 40. Kittle, who was also a teammate of Beathard's at Iowa, caught it in stride and was able to outrun Chargers' defenders to the end zone.GROUND GORDON: Most of Gordon's big plays the first three games were as a receiver Philip Rivers Jersey , but he had his first 100-yard rushing game of the season on Sunday with 104 yards on 15 carries. He had two carries of 15 yards or more, including a 34-yarder to the San Francisco 4 during the fourth quarter that helped set up Sturgis' go-ahead field goal."I think I had some good blocks, made some guys miss and guys kind of got lazy on the tackles, and you got to make them pay for it," Gordon said.It is the sixth 100-yard rushing game of Gordon's career and his first since last Oct. 29 against New England.GROUNDED: It was a bad day for San Francisco's running game and its run defense. Matt Breida came in tied for the league lead in rushing but he was held to 39 yards on nine carries.The defense was 10th against the run and allowing only 97 yards per game but allowed a 100-yard rusher for the first time in 11 games.KICKING WOES: Sturgis made three field goals, but he also missed two extra points and a 54-yard field goal attempt. Lynn wasn't immediately saying that Sturgis' job is in danger, but it wouldn't be a surprise if the team brought in kickers for tryouts this week.The Chargers have missed eight PATs since the start of last season, which is the most in the league.TACKLE TROUBLES? The starting left tackles for both teams ended up getting injured during the first half and did not return. San Francisco's Joe Staley suffered a knee injury midway through the second quarter and Los Angeles' Russell Okung strained a groin on the last offensive play of the first half.Follow Joe Reedy at joereedy