Alexander Mattison gets Raiders on board with 31-yard touchdown

INGLEWOOD, Calif. --Alexander Mattison, or Renaldo Nehemiah?

Mattison, a running back in his first season with the Las Vegas Raiders, made like the former world-class hurdler Sunday at SoFi Stadium when he, yes, hurdled over Los Angeles Chargers cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. and ran by Chargers linebacker Daiyan Henley for a 31-yard catch-and-run touchdown.

Mattison, who signed as a free agent in the offseason after five seasons with the Minnesota Vikings, took the pass from new Raiders quarterback Gardner Minshew in the right flat before making the leap over Samuel.

It was Mattison's seventh career receiving TD, and it gave the Raiders a 7-3 lead with 45 seconds left in the first quarter. It was the first touchdown reception by a Raiders running back since Ameer Abdullah scored one in Week 12 of the 2022 season against the Seattle Seahawks.