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Welcome to Allegiant Stadium.

Remember to tip your Raiders.

The Chargers didn’t forget. They were the most generous tippers in town Monday night, with eight different players swatting away a total of 15 passes and intercepting three more in a 20-9 victory over their AFC West rivals.

It was a defensive masterpiece, one accomplished without star edge rusher Khalil Mack, whose arm was crunched on a tackle, and with linebacker Daiyan Henley — who at times appeared launched from a Circus Circus cannon — on the mend from a nasty stomach bug.

“At times it felt like there were more than 11 out there, especially in the secondary,” Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh said.

Sometimes, a number is more than a number. For example, the Chargers are 2-0, but they’re even better than that because those two wins came against division opponents, counting the season-opening victory over Kansas City. The Chargers play their home opener Sunday against Denver with a chance to run the table on their first three of six division games.

Whereas quarterback Justin Herbert was in the spotlight in the win over the Chiefs, Monday’s game belonged to the defense — starting with Henley’s interception on the first play from scrimmage. He plucked a carom after teammate Alohi Gilman broke up Geno Smith’s first pass.

It was as if the supercharged stadium sprung a hissing leak.

“That’s deflating, bro,” Chargers safety Derwin James said. “It’s deflating to their coordinator — you’ve got your first 15 [plays] drawn up and the first play’s a pick? Very deflating.”

The play had the opposite effect on Henley, who felt so bad before the game his status was downgraded to questionable. He finished with a game-high 10 tackles and a sack.

“Saying I felt like crap is an understatement,” he said. “It was definitely a long game out there, but I got so much motivation just being part of this team, being with a group of guys that got my back no matter what.”

Tony Jefferson had an interception for the Chargers at the end of the first half, and Donte Jackson had one in the end zone near game’s end.

Raiders quarterback Geno Smith was 0 for 11 on passes thrown 10 or more yards downfield, the second-most attempts without a completion since ESPN began tracking the statistic in 2006.

Harbaugh heaped praise on James, calling him “the best safety I’ve ever seen in the history of the National Football League” and “Superman.”

“He was playing at the line of scrimmage, intermediate, deep half, blitzing off the edge,” the coach said. “He can play nickel, dime backer, corner — he’s a five-tool, maybe six-tool player. You’d have to compare him to Willie Mays.”

The Raiders generated 218 yards of offense, 171 fewer than their performance at New England the week before.

“What that really feels like is a real missed opportunity just in general,” Raiders coach Pete Carroll said.

“We didn’t play well enough on the offensive side with the turnovers that add up. ... They covered us up pretty good. I’m anxious to see the film.”

That won’t be the feel-good movie of the summer.

Read more:Tom Brady will play flag football in Saudi Arabia with CeeDee Lamb, Saquon Barkley

The Chargers, meanwhile, spiraled in all the right ways. Herbert threw a laser to Keenan Allen in the back of the end zone, and a pristine rainbow to Quentin Johnston for a 60-yard touchdown. He spun his passes with mechanical precision.

“The guy is exactly what we thought he was for a long time now,” Henley said of Herbert. “He’s been out there controlling and commanding the game, not just the offense, but commanding the game. When we give him the ball, we understand that we can rest knowing that [he] is going to get the job done.”

If this was a yardstick game, the visitors measured up and the Raiders took a ruler-rap across the knuckles, losing to the Chargers for the fourth time in the past five meetings.

Allegiant Stadium crackled with energy for this opener, with Raiders minority owner Tom Brady wearing headphones in the coaches’ box, Lil Jon performing at halftime, and two football rockstars roaming the sidelines — Harbaugh and Carroll — longstanding rivals since their days at Stanford and USC, and San Francisco and Seattle.

Carroll became the first person to coach an NFL game at age 74, and youthful as he is, the game had to sap his spirit a bit. The Chargers were in control throughout.

Both teams are breaking in first-round running backs, rookies Omarion Hampton of the Chargers and Ashton Jeanty of the Raiders. Each made some impressive plays, yet neither was a true game-changer. Hampton absorbed a hit from Maxx Crosby and lost the ball on an exchange when the Chargers were trying to put the game on ice.

In the second half, the Raiders had a 19-play, 11-minute drive that resulted in a field goal, the crowd booing in frustration as the kicking unit ran onto the field. Like winning $5 on a $100 bet.

Two NFL teams have not allowed a first-half touchdown this young season: Green Bay and the Chargers.

Brady, a Fox NFL analyst on Sundays, was able to catch his team after working the Philadelphia-Kansas City game the night before.

He came a fairly long way, and his franchise has a fairly long way to go.

Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

The Chargers are spiraling — in all the right ways.

A laser to Keenan Allen in the back of the end zone. A pristine rainbow to Quentin Johnston way downfield.

Justin Herbert, spinning passes with mechanical precision, led his team to a 20-9 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders, directing the Chargers to a 2-0 record and a spot alone atop the AFC West.

The second half of a Monday night NFL doubleheader was a yardstick game for both teams — how good were they, truly, after their season-opening victories? — and the Raiders got a vigorous ruler-rap across the knuckles, losing to the Chargers for the fourth time in the past five meetings.

Read more:Tom Brady will play flag football in Saudi Arabia with CeeDee Lamb, Saquon Barkley

Herbert, ruthlessly effective in a win over the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 1, picked apart the Las Vegas secondary with surgical skill and used his legs to pick up yardage when his receivers weren’t open. He was his team’s leading rusher.

After a one-for-five passing start, he completed his next 15 throws. That included a 60-yard touchdown to Johnston, who scored twice against the Chiefs and is redefining his onetime reputation for exasperating drops.

Herbert was outstanding but for a couple of hiccups, such as a near-interception in the fourth quarter. Overall, though, it was another elite outing after a brilliant game in Brazil.

Allegiant Stadium crackled with energy for this opener, with Raiders minority owner Tom Brady wearing headphones in the coaches’ box, Lil Jon performing at halftime, and two football rock stars roaming the sidelines — coaches Jim Harbaugh and Pete Carroll — longstanding rivals since their days at Stanford and USC, and San Francisco and Seattle.

Carroll became the first person to coach an NFL game at age 74, and youthful as he is, the game had to sap his spirit a bit. The Chargers were in control throughout.

Both teams are breaking in first-round running backs, rookies Omarion Hampton of the Chargers and Ashton Jeanty of the Raiders. Each made some impressive plays, yet neither was a true game-changer. Hampton absorbed a hit from Maxx Crosby and was part of a fumbled exchange with Herbert when the Chargers were trying to put the game on ice.

The Chargers' defense found reasons to gather and celebrate. They had interceptions at the beginning and end of the first half, with linebacker Daiyan Henley plucking a carom on the first Raiders play (a pass defensed by Alohi Gilman) and the seasoned Tony Jefferson picking a desperation deep ball on the last Las Vegas possession of the half.

Raiders quarterback Geno Smith simply didn’t have time to get the ball deep downfield. Defenders were in his face in a flash, and Chargers defensive backs were Velcro-bonded to the wideouts.

Eight different Chargers broke up passes, and six of those players broke up at least two.

In the fourth quarter, with the Raiders knocking on the door to finally score, the Chargers came up with another interception, this time in the end zone by Donte Jackson.

Has an NFL owner ever thrown his headset?

In the second half, the Raiders had a 19-play, 11-minute drive that resulted in a field goal, the crowd booing in frustration as the kicking unit ran onto the field. Like winning $5 on a $100 bet.

Two NFL teams have not allowed a first-half touchdown this young season: Green Bay and the Chargers.

Not everything went the Chargers’ way. Star edge rusher Khalil Mack got his lower left arm crunched on a tackle, the TV replay was cringeworthy, and had to leave the game with an elbow injury. He later returned to the sideline with his left arm in a sling.

There wasn’t much for Raiders fans to cheer after halftime. One of the few energized crowd moments came with two minutes to play, when cameras captured some guy proposing to his girlfriend. She said yes, incidentally.

This marks the first time since 1988 that the Chargers have opened the season with three consecutive division games. They play host to Denver in their SoFi Stadium opener on Sunday. The Broncos and Raiders each have one loss, and the Chiefs are 0-2.

Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Tom Brady appears to have a bigger role with the Las Vegas Raiders than previously thought.

The longtime New England Patriots star and future Hall of Famer was spotted in the coaches’ booth at Allegiant Stadium on Monday night for the Las Vegas Raiders’ 20-9 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. While it's unclear how involved he was, Brady had a headset on and a tablet in front of him like the rest of the team's coaching staff seated around him.

Brady, according to ESPN's Peter Schrager, meets with Raiders offensive coordinator Chip Kelly multiple times a week throughout the season.

Raiders head coach Pete Carroll said the report of multiple meetings a week was "not accurate," though he said both he and Kelly speak with Brady regularly.

"We have conversations. I talk to Tom, Chip talks to Tom regularly," Carroll said, via ESPN's Ryan McFadden. "We have a tremendous asset. And we all get along and respect each other. We just talk about life and football. He has great insight, so we're lucky to have him as an owner."

It's easy to see why Kelly and the Raiders would want to consult with Brady, who had his purchase of a minority stake in the Raiders approved officially last year. He won seven Super Bowls throughout his 23 seasons in the league and is widely considered one of the best players in the history of the sport. Utilizing him to make your team better feels like a no-brainer.

Brady is the lead analyst with Fox and calls games across the league each week as part of his broadcast job. That makes Kelly’s reported revelation that he talks with Brady multiple times a week and goes through film and game plans with him significant.

Because of his status as a franchise owner, Brady has to adhere to several restrictions that other broadcasters don't, including not being able to attend team practices and visit team facilities. He initially wasn't allowed to attend production meetings, either, but the NFL relaxed those rules recently and now allows Brady to attend production meetings with coaches and players each week remotely. Undoubtedly, Brady is still incredibly connected in the league. 

Brady is scheduled to call the Dallas Cowboys’ matchup with the Chicago Bears next Sunday at Soldier Field in Chicago, which will give him close access to both franchises. The following week, the Bears will head to Las Vegas to take on the Raiders.