by Jeremy Kahn

Coming out off the bye week, the Oakland Raiders returned to the field in the middle of a two-game losing streak.

Derek Carr put an end to the notion that the Raiders would lose for the third straight game, as he threw three touchdown passes and the Raiders defeated the San Diego Chargers 37-29.

The Raiders scored on their first seven possessions of the game on their way to taking a 30-6 lead at the end of the first half.

Amari Cooper is his making his case for Offensive Rookie of the Year, as he caught five passes for 133 yards on the afternoon and a touchdown.

Carr went 24-for-31 for 289 yards passing and threw touchdowns to Clive Watford and Michael Crabtree.

It was a tough game for Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers from the get go, as he threw an interception on the third play from scrimmage, when his pass tipped and caught by Raiders linebacker Malcolm Smith. Two plays after the interception that was returned to the two-yard line, Latavius Murray scored on a two-yard run.

Sebastian Janikowski kicked three field goals on the afternoon.

Entering the fourth quarter, the Raiders were leading by the score of 37-6, but the Chargers attempted to make a game of it, as they scored 23 unanswered points to get within 37-29 with six seconds remaining in the game when Rivers found Danny Woodhead for a touchdown and the subsequent two-point conversion to Ladrius Green.

Josh Lambo’s third onside kick of the afternoon fell right into the hands of Raiders tight end Mychel Rivera, and then Carr took one kneel down and the Raiders escaped with an eight-point victory, their first road divisional win since the 2012 season.

With the victory, the Raiders have matched their win total for the 2014 season, and now return to the Coliseum where they will face another longtime rival in the New York Jets on Sunday afternoon.