The Raiders defense played as well as it had in some time. The Raiders got the ground game up and running.
There were positive moments in Sunday’s AFC West clash with the L.A. Chargers, but a predictably negative result.
The Silver and Black got beat 20-6 by a far better team that eventually made enough plays to put this game to bed.
The Raiders lost their fifth straight game and fourth in a row to the rival Chargers, holding on to next year’s No. 1 overall draft pick.
Offense stuck in the mud
The Raiders found the end zone late in the third quarter of a loss to Indianapolis in Week 8, but have now gone nine straight quarters without scoring a touchdown.
Jon Gruden’s offense has been stagnant for weeks, with an awful passing attack stymied by poor pass protection and questionable play from the skill positions.
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They couldn’t get anything going against the Chargers, and wasted a solid defensive effort. They were down two scores heading into the fourth quarter, though the offense had plenty of opportunities to secure a lead.
Their best chance came from fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line. Gruden called for a jet sweep to Dwayne Harris, who wasn’t able to turn upfield and score. That was a tone setter for the Raiders, who moved the ball well in spurts but struggled to score points.
Derek Carr was sacked four times on the day, and has been sacked at least three times on four of the last five games. The downfield passing game is virtually non-existent, and the Raiders don’t have any dynamic receiving threats outside tight end Jared Cook. That makes life taking yards in chunks, or moving the ball consistently.
While the defense has been heavily criticized in recent weeks (and deservedly so) the offense has struggled mightily and regressed over the last month plus. That unit has failed to score a touchdown in three of its last four games.
In the ultimate concession, Carr threw the ball away on fourth down despite being down 14 points late with roughly three minutes left. They cried uncle there, unable to find the end zone with a unit that struggles doing anything right.
Big plays still haunt Raiders defense
There was a lot to like about how the Raiders played defense against the Chargers. Coverage was solid throughout, and the pass rush at times was able to generate some heat.
As usual, however, they have a propensity for giving up big plays. Philip Rivers through a short pass to Melvin Gordon, who juked cornerback Gareon Conley and made safety Reggie Nelson whiff on a 66-yard catch and run for touchdown. And, just like that, the Raiders were down two scores with an offense struggling mightily.
Big plays have hurt the Raiders all season, especially with runs and giving up long plays from short passes.
That was the case again here. The Raiders will have a tough time winning games with teams able to score quickly and easily.
Townsend turns it around
Johnny Townsend has been criticized heavily on this web site during a rough start to his rookie season. Space must be given, then, to a solid showing by the Florida product.
Townsend flashed surprising speed on a fake punt where he ran left for 42 yards. That seemed to get his adrenaline up, and he followed that with his best day as a punter. He averaged 54 yards on three punts, and put one inside the Chargers’ 10-yard line.
The Raiders have shown patience with their punter, and he rewarded them for it on Sunday.
