INGLEWOOD, Calif. — A highly-controversial, if not cowardly decision by Raiders coach Antonio Pierce helped lead to a Week 1 loss for his team at SoFi Stadium.

Now another one contributed to a Week 7 defeat. The Raiders fell to the Rams 20-15 Sunday afternoon after Pierce settled for a field goal on fourth-and-goal from the 9-yard line with 2:50 remaining.

Las Vegas’ offense did end up getting the ball back, but weren’t in a position to succeed at their own 11-yard line with 1:37 to play. Quarterback Gardner Minshew threw two incompletions, and then his third interception of the day (this one to Jaylen McCollough) to seal the victory for the Rams.

A more mathematically and strategically sound decision from Pierce would have been to go for the touchdown and two-point conversion to tie the game. It was the furthest the Raiders had been down the field all day, as they had consistently settled for field goals with kicker Daniel Carlson setting a career-high with five makes.

The longest was a 47-yarder right before halftime; the final one right before the two-minute warning came from 27 yards out.

Las Vegas’ offense struggled all day through the air after starting quarterback Aidan O’Connell left with a broken thumb following two drives. Minshew had a fumble returned for a touchdown — by safety Kam Curl, who also injured O’Connell’s thumb on a blitz — in addition to his three interceptions (McCollough had two and Cobie Durant had the other).

The Raiders did get their rushing game on track with running back Alexander Mattison carrying the ball 23 times for 92 yards. But they consistently stalled when they got onto the Rams’ side of the field even with rookie tight end Brock Bowers having another big day with 10 receptions for 93 yards.

Los Angeles took a 7-3 lead late in the second quarter when Kyren Williams ran in a 13-yard touchdown after Minshew’s first interception. The Rams never trailed again and were up multiple scores for most of the afternoon.

A fourth-and-1 punt in opposing territory saw Pierce receive a skewered reaction in Week 1 against the Chargers. This time, it was a field goal that didn’t maximize the team’s chance to win.

The Raiders lost a third straight to fall to 2-5 on the season with a game against back-to-back Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs scheduled for next Sunday at Allegiant Stadium.

Check back later for more coverage and read below for live updates from throughout the game.

It’s a one-score game at SoFi Stadium after Daniel Carlson’s fourth successful field goal of the game, a 27-yarder.

The Rams still lead the Raiders 20-12 but the visitors got some hope mostly because of a Nate Hobbs interception off Matthew Stafford. Robert Spillane got a hand on a Stafford pass and Hobbs caught the tip before returning it 35 yards to the Rams’ 14-yard line.

Las Vegas couldn’t get a first down on the ensuing possession but at least avoided its fourth turnover of the day. Carlson’s kick officially has them back in it with 14:52 left to play in the fourth quarter.

Raiders’ offense sets up Rams again

Another Gardner Minshew turnover has turned into another Los Angeles touchdown.

Kyren Williams rushed in a 1-yard score to put the Rams up 20-6 on the Raiders with 7:30 remaining in the third quarter.

The score three plays after Minshew threw behind intended receiver DJ Turner, allowing safety Jaylen McCullough an interception. It was Minshew’s second interception since relieving Aidan O’Connell, who’s out with a broken thumb,  and he also has a fumble.

The Raiders’ pass game is in complete disarray with Minshew sitting on 90 yards while completing eight of 19 attempts.

Raiders rally for a field goal before hafltime

Well, the Raiders didn’t quit at least after giving up 14 straight points to the Rams off turnovers.

With just over a minute remaining before halftime, Las Vegas got the ball back and went 46 yards down the field to set up Daniel Carlson for his second field goal attempt of the day. Carlson converted from 47 yards to make the score 14-6 in favor of the Rams.

Los Angeles will receive the second-half kickoff and try to spark an offense that’s been outgained by Las Vegas 188-114.  All the Rams’ success have come from the Raiders’ turnovers, an interception and fumble by Gardner Minshew.

Raiders’ mistakes turn into Rams’ points

A pair of Gardner Minshew turnovers has the Raiders reeling near halftime at SoFi Stadium.

The Rams lead 14-3 after Minshew followed an interception made by Cobie Durant with a fumble returned for a touchdown by Kam Curl. Durant caused the fumble on a blitz.

Curl went 33 yards for the score, while the Rams’ offense (detailed below) capitalized on the field position created by the interception. The young defensive back duo of Curl and Durant is killing the Raiders.

Curl knocked starting quarterback Aidan O’Connell out of the game early on a blitz. O’Connell broke his thumb and will almost surely not return to the game.

Rams score game’s first touchdown

The Raiders’ defense held for the first 27 minutes of the game. The unit couldn’t make it a 28th minute, not after the offense put them in an inopportune position.

Kyren Williams ran in a 13-yard touchdown to put the Rams up 7-3. The score came after the Rams’ longest play from scrimmage so far this afternoon, a 23-yard pass from quarterback Matthew Stafford to Colby Parkinson.

The Rams were set up with the ball in Raiders’ territory after Gardner Minshew threw an interception to second-year cornerback Cobie Durant.  

Raiders score first

It took 16 minutes, but points are finally on the board at SoFi Stadium. And they belong to the Raiders.

Daniel Carlson made a 38-yard field goal to put Las Vegas up 3-0 on the Los Angeles Rams and cap a nine-play, 56-yard drive. The possession was notably piloted by Gardner Minshew, who returned to the quarterback role he lost two weeks ago when Aidan O’Conell went down with an apparent hand injury.

O’Connell is questionable to return. The key play of the scoring drive was a 25-yard third-down completion to rookie tight end Brock Bowers, who has three catches for 38 yards overall.

Las Vegas’ defense has looked up to the task through two drives with Los Angeles only having 37 yards and Maxx Crosby having already notched a sack on Matthew Stafford.

Pregame

The running back the Raiders planned to build their offense around going into the season is back for this afternoon’s game against the Rams.

Zamir White is active for the first time in three weeks since suffering a groin injury in practice after a Week 4 win over the Browns. He’s expected to split carries with Alexander Mattison, though the exact share for each back is a mystery.

It’s something to watch when the Week 7 game kicks off at 1:05 p.m. at SoFi Stadium.

Las Vegas will, as expecte,d be without top receiver Jakobi Meyers for the second straight game as he was on the just-released inactives list. Joining him were running back Dylan Laube, cornerback Sam Webb, linebacker Kana’i Manua, linebacker Tommy Eichenberg, guard Dylan Parham and defensive end Janarius Robinson.

Parham’s foot injury looms large, though Jordan Meredith played well in relief of him in last week’s loss to the Steelers, so the offensive line will be another unit to monitor.

The Rams’ inactives list may have been impactful as it confirmed reports that top receiver Cooper Kupp would miss his fifth straight game despite returning to practice this week.

Stay tuned for live updates from throughout the game and read below for a full preview of the matchup.   

The Raiders are in desperate need of a turnaround after getting off to their worst six-week start since moving to Las Vegas in 2020.

They were even 3-3 at this point last year before an ensuing two-game losing streak led to the firing of then-coach Josh McDaniels and elevation of then-interim, now-permanent coach Antonio Pierce. Las Vegas also sat at 2-4 in the 2022 season but that was a result of a string of close losses; it still had a point differential of +22. This year’s point differential is -54, third-worst in the AFC behind the New England Patriots (-60) and Jacksonville Jaguars (-65).

The Raiders are on a two-game losing streak, falling by a combined 35 points to the Pittsburgh Steelers and Denver Broncos, that makes it hard to imagine Pierce’s goal of a playoff berth coming to fruition. They’re also running out of bodies as injuries have continued to mount — guard Dylan Parham is expected to become the eighth offensive starter from Week 1 to miss a game Sunday — and the team’s most proven star, receiver Davante Adams, was traded to the New York Jets for a third-round pick on Tuesday.

Favorable matchup: Slot cornerback Nate Hobbs vs. returning receiver Cooper Kupp

To be fair, no one really matches up favorably with the 2021 NFL Offensive Player of the Year award winner. The Raiders just might be better equipped than most teams to slow Kupp given the situation and Hobbs’ presence. The 31-year-old Kupp hasn’t played a full game since the Rams’ Week 1 loss to the Lions where he racked up 14 catches for 110 yards and a touchdown but is expected to return from an ankle injury against the Raiders. Kupp primarily lines up in the slot where Hobbs has been almost exclusively stationed throughout his four-year professional career. He’s emerged as one of the NFL’s surer nickelbacks during the span, and is coming off one of his best games in last week’s 32-13 loss to the Steelers. Hobbs allowed three completions on six targets with 10 tackles and a pass defensed, but the advanced numbers are where his impact was most evident. He tied for fifth in the NFL with a lockdown rate (a measure of how much space a defensive back allows a receiver) of 81.82% according to Pro Football Focus. If Hobbs can allow that little of separation for a second straight week, the Rams’ offense may never come fully alive.

Problematic matchup: Rams’ young edge-rushing tandem vs. Raiders’ offensive line

Los Angeles came into the season searching for a new defensive identity after the retirement of three-time Defensive Player of the Year Aaron Donald, and might have found it. Rookie first-round pick Jared Verse is the betting favorite to win Defensive Rookie of the Year after starting the season strong with 20 pressures. It’s a similar impact to the one made by the starter on the opposite of the line, Byron Young, as a rookie third-round pick last year. Young has tailed off a bit this season (15 pressures so far) but remains one of the higher-upside young pass-rushers in the NFL along with Verse. Throw in fellow second-year, third-round defensive tackle Kobie Turner and the Rams have more than enough to challenge a mediocre, makeshift Raiders’ offensive line. Las Vegas has played better up front in recent weeks but still rates No. 25 in the league by PFF and sits No. 20 in adjusted sack rate. Former Ram practice-squad member/third-year Raider Jordan Meredith will likely be tasked with filling in for Parham and solidifying the line. The Raiders should also get back right tackle Thayer Munford, who’s missed the last three games with a knee injury, but are more likely to use him in a backup role to rookie DJ Glaze.

Gamebreaker: Running back Alexander Mattison

Mattison led the Raiders to an opening-possession touchdown against the Steelers with seven touches on the 10-play drive, and then was subbed out and only got one more first-half touch right before halftime. The odd usage was controversial, and Pierce has openly talked about wanting to get the sixth-year pro, former Minnesota Viking the ball more often when he’s clicking. Expect for that to happen this week, even if fellow running back Zamir White returns to the lineup off a groin injury that’s sidelined him the last two weeks. Las Vegas trusts Mattison more at this point, and his running style has looked like a better fit for its new zone-blocking scheme as opposed to the power-running that served White so well at the end of last season. Despite having made slight improvements to its running game over the last three weeks, Las Vegas still sits 31st in the league with 477 rushing yards and 3.7 yards per carry. But this could be a spot to get back on track as the Rams’ defensive line hasn’t been as efficient run-stopping as they have been rushing the passer. Los Angeles’ defense sits 30th in the NFL in defending the run per the DVOA ratings.

Big Number: 0

The Raiders have never won in five games at SoFi Stadium with fans in the building. Their only victory at the $5 billion venue on the site of the old Hollywood Park Racetrack came in their first visit, a 31-26 victory over the Chargers on Nov. 8, 2020 during the season played with strict COVID-19 precautions. They’ve lost to the Chargers four straight times since, including 22-10 in Week 1 this season, and also fell to the Rams 17-16 on Dec. 8, 2022, at SoFi. It’s made for a lot of dejected Raiders’ fans over the years, as silver and black typically overtakes the 70,000-seat stadium. This game could be even more slanted towards the Raiders if projections are to believed. Vivid Seats’ Fan Forecast — which correctly warned Pittsburgh fans would outnumber Las Vegas fans last week at Allegiant Stadium — predicts a 61% split in favor of the Raiders in Week 7. The Rams aren’t a traditional rival of the Raiders, but there’s some bad blood between the two franchises after the NFL pushed for the former to move back to Los Angeles a decade ago and blocked the latter from doing so.

Best Bet (5-1): Matthew Stafford over 230.5 passing yards

The prop-betting pickings are slim this week with all the skill-player injuries causing sports books to play it cautiously and not post as many offerings, so let’s stick to the quarterbacks for the third straight week. As long as the Raiders can keep the score close, the Rams should have a passing-heavy game plan to give Stafford every opportunity to top this number. He’s only gone over 230.5 passing yards twice so far this season, but that’s because he’s been stuck with a severely injured receiving corps. Los Angeles should be at least a little bit healthier coming out of a bye week with Kupp’s comeback the obvious headliner. Kupp’s underneath style should open things up for young, improving downfield threats like Tutu Atwell and Jordan Whittington. Stafford hasn’t faced the silver and black since 2019 when he was still with the Detroit Lions, but he put up 409 yards on 26-for-41 passing in that game, a 31-24 Raiders win.