Los Angeles Chargers linebacker Daiyan Henley was not at 100 percent Monday night against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium. He was far from it. Before the game, he was even listed as questionable due to an illness. But Henley bucked the odds and performed incredibly well for Los Angeles' defense that stymied Geno Smith and the Raiders' attack from start to finish.
Henley had a sinus infection in the days prior to the Raiders game, according to Daniel Popper of The Athletic. Moreover, he nursed a fever on Monday morning, which led to his questionable tag for the meeting with Las Vegas.
Henley, however, fought through his illness. He even set the tone early for the Chargers' defense when he intercepted Smith's first pass of the contest.
In the words of Charger defensive back Alohi Gilman, Henley had a “flu game,” and that “Jordan needs to sign him.”
When it was all said and done in the Chargers' 20-9 victory over the Raiders, Henley had a game-high 10 total tackles to go with a sack, two passes defended and a quarterback hit in addition to his interception.
“I got very emotional because I was really in pain,” said Henley, who admitted that he cried on the bench during the game. “I kind of just thought to myself, ‘Not only am I doing this for myself, but I’m doing this for my team.’ I had to dig deep right there.”
As a team, the Chargers limited Las Vegas to only 218 total yards. The Raiders went 9-for-18 in third downs but never scored in the three trips they had into the red zone. Smith was intercepted three times and sacked thrice for a loss of 30 yards. Los Angeles also silenced Ashton Jeanty and the Raiders' ground game, which produced only 68 yards on 19 carries.
After beating the Kansas City Chiefs and the Raiders for a 2-0 start in the 2025 season, the Chargers must have already put everyone on notice. With Justin Herbert leading the offense and their defense stepping up, the Chargers have all the momentum going into their Week 3 assignment versus the Denver Broncos at home.
