The Raiders trusted their defense Thursday night and paid for it with elimination from the playoff race.

Justin Herbert completed a 53-yard pass to Jalen Guyton against Keisan Nixon to set up the Los Angeles Chargers at the 1, and Herbert eventually scored on quarterback sneak for the winning touchdown for a 30-27 win at Allegiant Stadium.

Marcus Mariota came off the bench to lead the Raiders in the absence of quarterback Derek Carr, passing for 226 yards and rushing for 88, but when Daniel Carlson kicked a 23-yard field goal on fourth-and-goal from the 4, it set up the Chargers with a chance to win the game. By overtime rules, a touchdown, rather than a field goal, would have won the game for the Raiders.

Trayvon Mullen was called for a 20-yard pass interference penalty for Herbert found Guyton open to the 2-yard line.

The Raiders scored on a 35-yard pass from Mariota to Darren Waller, a 23-yard field goal by Carlson, a 1-yard dive by Josh Jacobs and a 2-yard leap by Mariota.

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The Chargers got a 10-yard pass from Herbert to Hunter Henry, a 26-yard pass to Tyron Johnson, a 22-yard field goal by Michael Badgley and a 1-yard run by Kalen Ballage.

At 7-7, the Raiders need to win at least one of their last two games to surpass their disappointing season of 7-9 a year ago.

Regardless, having lost four of their last five with the lone win coming against the winless Jets, it’s been another downward spiral to end the season. Carr left the game early in the first half with a groin strain while rolling toward the sideline. His status going forward is not known.

The Chargers are 5-9, secure in the knowledge that they have a quarterback of the future in Herbert who could potentially save the jobs of the coaching staff with a strong finish.

Highs, lows and all you need to know:

Ugly end of regulation: The Raiders, after a late Badgley miss, couldn’t manage a first down and were going to attempt an NFL record 65-yard field goal by Daniel Carlson at the buzzer, but A.J. Cole dropped the snap as time expried.

Badgley’s misses:  Badgley missed a 51-yard field goal with 53 seconds left, which was set up by a Kendal Vickers sack of Herbert on third-and-9. The potential game-winner was set up by a Chris Harris interception of Mariota and 51-yard return.

Despite the Raiders defense giving up a 27-yard run to Austin Ekeler, and a 12-yard run to Herbert to get into scoring position, Daryl Worley broke up a third-down pass intended for Henry, forcing the Chargers to attempt a 47-yard field goal.

Badgley missed to the wide left, setting up the Raiders’ at the 35-yard line with 3:38 left.

More Mariota: The Raiders took their time in tying the score 24-24, eating up an incredible 10:52 off the clock in driving 75 yards in 19 plays to score on Mariota’s 2-yard leap into the end zone on a scramble from his right.

Included was a fourth-and-1 flip for 7 yards to Darren Waller to the 3-yard line. Mariota converted a third-and-6 with a 7-yard scramble and a fourth-and-2 with a 4-yard run.

Chargers go the distance: A 1-yard run by Ballage with 2:08 left in the third quarter put the Chargers back on top 24-17, adding a 75-yard touchdown drive to go with earlier scoring drives of 78 and 49 yards.

Third-down conversions included a 19-yard Herbert to Henry pass to the 12-yard line on third-and-5, and an obvious Trayvon Mullen pass interference call on thrid-and-9 from the 11 in the end zone to set up the touchdown.

Jacobs ties it: The Raiders tied the score 17-17 on their first possession of the third quarter, with Jacobs finishing a 76-yard, 10-play drive with a 1-yard leap in to the end zone with 7:18 left in the quarter.

Mariota converted a fourth-and-2 from the Chargers 17-yard with a keeper to his left, and then Nelson Agholor drew a pass interference penalty in the end zone to set up Jacobs for the score.

The drive included a 25-yard Mariota-to-Waller catch and run on third-and-10 and a 26-yard run on a read option to the right from Mariota on the first play of the drive.

Uncomplementary football: The Chargers led 17-10 at halftime courtesy of a Raiders trifecta of poor football in all three phases.

First, on Mariota’s second possession, Theo Riddick was dumped for a 5-yard loss on first down, a play which essentially torpedoed the drive and led to a three-and-out when a Mariota completion to Hunter Renfrow came up way short.

Next, A.J. Cole, the Raiders usually reliable second-year punter, shanked a 19-yard kick which set up the Chargers at the Raiders 49-yard line 1:00 to play.

That’s all Herbert needed to continue an onslaught that looked like a 9-on-7 camp drill. A 25-yard pass to K.J. Hill and a 26-yard scoring play to Tyron Johnson with 19 seconds left put the Chargers up 17-10.

Herbert finished the first half 16 of 20 for 194 yards and two touchdowns, in the process tying the NFL rookie record with his 27th touchdown pass of the season.

Defensive stand, sort of: The Chargers responded to Mariota’s first drive with a 22-yard field goal by Badgley to tie the score 10-10 with 1:52 left in the half.

Herbert carved the Raiders up until the Chargers stalled at the 3, and was 13 of 15 in the game for 145 yards until a third-and-goal play from the 4 went over the head of Keenan Allen, who wasn’t open against Daryl Worley.

Mariota’s debut: Would you believe 86 yards in seven plays with a 35-yard touchdown strike to Waller? An absolute dime against pretty good coverage too.

Quarterback rating for the drive: a perfect 158.3. Mariota was 3-for-3 for 70 yards, completing a 22-yard pass to Foster Moreau for his first completion as a Raider and 13-yard pass to Waller. That didn’t include a 13-yard burst on an option for a first down where he broke a tackle to finish the run.

The touchdown was Mariota’s first since Sept. 29, 2019 for the Tennessee Titans to Corey Davis for 23 yards.

Carr goes out: Carr had the Raiders knocking on the door, having driven the offense 70 yards in nine plays before coming up injured on third-and-goal from the 2. Carr had completed a 17-yard pass to Jacobs and a 30-yard third-down pass to Nelson Agholor.

The Raiders were forced to settle for Carlson’s 23-yard field goal as Carr headed in to the locker room to get checked.

The Chargers at that point defensively had allowed 18 consecutive touchdowns in goal-to-go situations.

Marinelli’s first series: Herbert carved up the Raiders by going 6-for-6 for 75 yards and a 10-yard scoring pass to Henry. Henry’s other catch on the drive was a 14-yard completion in front of Nick Kwiatkoski on third-and-11. Chargers ran six times for three yards on the drive. The Chargers used 7:29 off the clock on their opening drive, which came after a Raiders’ three-and-out.

The Raiders first drive ended on a rare miscommunication between Carr and Renfrow on third-and-3, with Renfrow heading up field while Carr threw to the sideline.

Lawson joins the inactive crew: Cornerback Nevin Lawson, who would have started in place of Damon Arnette (concussion) did not play due to illness. That left the Raiders thin in terms of experience at corner, although Daryl Worley was active for the first time after signing as a free agent.