The Los Angeles Chargers have been in front of a national TV audience twice in two weeks.

Their closeups have gone well.

In Brazil, the Chargers got an early signature win in Week 1 by beating the Kansas City Chiefs, who have won the AFC West nine years in a row. Week 2 was tricky. Back from São Paulo, the Chargers had to travel again to face a Las Vegas Raiders team that also won its opener and looked much improved from last season.

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The Chargers passed the test and did so easily Monday night. Their defense did a good job limiting the Raiders and intercepted quarterback Geno Smith three times. Meanwhile, Justin Herbert played well again. The Chargers have two divisional wins to start the season after beating the Raiders, 20-9.

That kind of start was important if the Chargers want to finally knock the Chiefs off their pedestal in the division. It’s early, but they have a two-game lead on the Chiefs now.

Raiders fall behind early

The night started in an ominous way for the Raiders. Chargers safety Alohi Gilman broke on a Smith throw, deflected it and linebacker Daiyan Henley made a nice catch as he trailed the play.

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Smith, who played very well in Week 1, had too many risky throws in the first half. Two were intercepted, including one late in the half after the Chargers had taken an 11-point lead.

Herbert completely outplayed Smith. His 60-yard touchdown to Quentin Johnston late in the second quarter was a beautiful deep throw. Herbert was fantastic in a Week 1 win over the Chiefs, and he continued that right into Week 2.

The Raiders weren’t getting much from tight end Brock Bowers, who was playing through a knee injury, and rookie running back Ashton Jeanty, who was being oddly underutilized and had just 30 yards in the first half. Combine that with Smith pressing on too many throws, and the Raiders were in trouble early.

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Chargers D has a strong night

The Raiders looked good on offense in Week 1, with Smith having nine completions of 20 yards or more. Even without Khalil Mack for most of the game, after he exited with an elbow injury, the Chargers did a fine job shutting Las Vegas down.

The Raiders still had hope in the fourth quarter when they drove to the Chargers’ 15-yard line with a little more than six minutes left, trailing 20-9. Then Jeanty lost 5 yards on a catch, and Smith threw his third interception as he tried to force a pass into the end zone. Safety Derwin James Jr. tipped it and Donte Jackson picked it off. That essentially ended the Raiders’ chances to win.

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The start to the season couldn’t have gone much better for the Chargers, though the Mack injury is worrisome. Herbert looks even better than last season, when he took a big step with Jim Harbaugh as his head coach. The Chargers have multiple weapons producing on offense. Their defense had a stellar night Monday. The Chargers will be even better if they can get a run game going, which has been a rare weakness early this season.

The Chargers are 2-0 to start the season.

Baker Mayfield, playing with what appeared to be an injured left leg, willed the Buccaneers to a come-from behind 20-19 victory over the Texans on Monday night.

The Bucs did what they do, starting 2-0 for a fifth consecutive season. The Texans fell to 0-2.

The Bucs scored touchdowns on their first two possessions as Mayfield hit Ryan Miller for a 20-yard touchdown and Emeka Egubka for a 15-yarder. They did not score again until only six seconds remained.

Tampa Bay faced a third-and-10 with 59 seconds left, and Mayfield ran for 15 to keep the drive alive. He completed 7-of-9 passes for 63 yards on the game-winning, 80-yard drive that took 11 plays and 2:04. Rachaad White had a 2-yard run for the deciding points.

Mayfield went 25-of-38 for 215 yards and two touchdowns, and he ran for 33 yards on three carries. Bucky Irving had 17 carries for 71 yards and White 10 carries for 65 yards as the Bucs ran for 169 yards on 30 carries, a 5.6-yard-per-carry average.

Mike Evans had five catches for 56 yards in his return home.

The Texans’ special teams nearly won them the game, and the Bucs’ special teams nearly lost them one.

Tampa Bay missed a 38-yard field goal, had a punt blocked and gave up a 53-yard punt return to set up Houston’s go-ahead touchdown late.

Jaylin Noel caught a Riley Dixon punt at the Houston 21 and returned it to the Tampa Bay 26 before Kaevon Merriweather saved a touchdown. Officials picked up a flag for a block in the back. Two plays later, Nick Chubb, who had only 18 yards on his first 11 carries, ran for a 25-yard touchdown with 2:10 remaining to give Houston its first lead since the initial drive of the game.

The Texans blocked a Riley Dixon punt with 6:16 remaining in the fourth quarter. Justin Watson returned it 1 yard to the Tampa Bay 35, but the Texans gained no yards on three plays and settled for a 53-yard Ka’imi Fairbairn field goal. That cut the Bucs’ lead to 14-13.

The block was the first allowed by the Bucs since 2018 when the Saints had one against them.

The Texans earlier failed to score on three plays from the 1-yard line after a 7-yard gain on a reception by Nico Collins on first down. They turned it over on downs with Chubb stopped for no gain and C.J. Stroud throwing back-to-back incompletions.

The Texans were outgained 266 to 360, with Stroud going 13-of-24 for 207 yards and a touchdown. He ran for 27 yards on four carries. Collins caught three passes for 52 yards and a touchdown.

In Week 1, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ offense didn’t do a lot, but Baker Mayfield came up huge when it mattered for a win.

After two weeks, it’s a trend.

The Buccaneers hadn’t scored in the second half when the Houston Texans scored just before the two-minute warning to take a 19-14 lead. Tampa Bay was without both tackles and protection was a big issue. And even though the offense was bad for 28 minutes of the second half, it did enough in the final two minutes to win.

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Mayfield, who took big hits and was slow to get up on a couple occasions, kept the game alive with a big scramble on fourth-and-10 in the final two minutes. Then he marched Tampa Bay into position for Rachaad White to run for a 2-yard touchdown with six seconds left to give the Buccaneers a dramatic 20-19 win over the Houston Texans.

Last week, Mayfield threw a game-winning touchdown in the final minute to beat the Atlanta Falcons. That’s a dramatic way to go 2-0.

Mayfield has been good for the Buccaneers ever since they signed him to a bargain contract in 2023. So far this season Mayfield has been great when the Buccaneers needed it most.

Texans score first but Bucs take lead

The Buccaneers led 14-10 at halftime, but it was a tough half for them.

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Offensive tackle Luke Goedeke left with a lower leg injury, leaving the Buccaneers without both of their stellar tackles. Tristan Wirfs hasn’t played yet this season due to a knee injury. Defensive tackle Calijah Kancey suffered a pectoral injury and his night was done.

The good news is the Buccaneers kept making plays despite injuries in the first half. They got off to a slow start when Nico Collins made a tremendous catch for a touchdown and a 7-0 Houston lead, but Mayfield was sharp. He had touchdowns to Ryan Miller and impressive rookie Emeka Egbuka. The Buccaneers’ defense played well, with the Texans struggling to establish any run game, and Collins’ touchdown was Houston’s last one of the first half.

The Buccaneers still had plenty to worry about, particularly in protecting Mayfield against a very good pass rush, but at least they had the lead.

Bucs D keeps them in it

The Buccaneers had a tough time on offense to start the second half. Eventually, their injuries on the offensive line became a major problem. The Bucs’ defense did its best to maintain the lead.

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The Bucs had a big goal-line stand early in the fourth quarter. Stroud completed a few passes downfield and got Houston to the 1-yard line. But Chubb was stopped short on second down, Collins had a pass go off his hands on third down and then Stroud overthrew Collins as he rolled out to his left on fourth down.

Houston’s defense also kept the Texans in the game. Then Houston’s special teams made two huge plays. Bucs punter Riley Dixon took too long against the Texans’ rush and had a punt blocked. Houston took over at Tampa Bay’s 35-yard line with a little more than six minutes left, trailing 14-10. But the Texans had an errant pass from Stroud, a run for nothing and then on third down Stroud threw a pass that should have been picked off by linebacker Lavonte David, hitting him right in the hands before he dropped it. The Texans settled for a 53-yard field goal. Then Jaylin Noel’s long punt return, in which officials picked up a flag for a block in the back or holding, set up Chubb’s touchdown and the lead with just over two minutes remaining.

The Texans had to get one more stop, and the Buccaneers’ offense was limited due to protection issues. But the Bucs got a drive going. Mayfield had Egbuka deep downfield but Egbuka dropped a pass that hit his hands. That seemed to end Tampa’s hopes but Mayfield saved the drive by scrambling for a first down on fourth-and-10. Bucky Irving had a 22-yard gain on a dumpoff pass, making multiple tacklers miss. A couple passes later and the Buccaneers handed to White, who scored up the middle to take the lead with nine seconds left.

Tampa Bay has been on the edge of a couple losses so far this season. Mayfield has shown his value to the Buccaneers in those tense spots.