Oakland Raiders vs. San Diego Chargers: Oakland Grades, Notes and Quotes
The final score doesn’t reflect the reality that a victorious Oakland Raiders team dominated the San Diego Chargers on the road.
The Raiders haven’t won a divisional road game since 2012, and they narrowly escaped with a victory on Sunday after lighting up the Chargers in the first half.
Oakland’s offense looked cerebral and traveled up and down the field like a car on the open freeway. Quarterback Derek Carr threw the ball with pinpoint accuracy. He also found plenty of weapons to stretch the field.
Tight end Clive Walford became Carr’s third weapon in the passing attack. Running back Taiwan Jones added a much-needed boost to the rushing attack to push the Raiders over 100 total rushing yards.
On defense, the Raiders didn’t ground Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers as much as expected, but the coverage tightened considerably. Cornerback D.J. Hayden caught an early interception to feed the offense an extra possession.
There’s one caveat to the defense's solid play. Oakland allowed three unanswered touchdowns in the fourth quarter, which shows difficulty in closing out a game without turbulence.
Fortunately, the dominance in the first half helped the Raiders maintain a victory, despite a late Chargers surge.
What happened in the second half? How should we grade the Raiders on this dominant, but narrow victory? How does the head coach feel about this win?
Position Grades for Raiders
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| Position | Grade |
| Quarterback | A |
| Running backs | A |
| Wide Receivers | B+ |
| Tight Ends/H-Back | A |
| Offensive Line | B+ |
| Defensive Line | C |
| Linebackers | A |
| Defensive Backs | B+ |
| Special Teams | A |
| Coaching | B |
Quarterback
Carr registered a 77 percent completion percentage. He threw with confidence, and he took shots downfield at the right time. There’s no anxiety watching Carr drop back and commit to a throw. He’s not making poor decisions or looking for the checkdown option at first glance. He’s continuing his growth as a solid quarterback.
Running backs
Latavius Murray ran well when taking carries. He showed some burst and doesn’t look hesitant when hitting the lanes. He averaged approximately 5.6 yards per carry and fits in the backfield as a featured back, but not a workhorse.
Backup running back Taiwan Jones added the change-of-pace factor to the ground attack to complement Murray’s workload. The Raiders' starting tailback doesn’t need to become a workhorse back with Jones' outside running style filling the gaps.
Wide Receivers
Amari Cooper continues to show poise, awareness and agility in his play. He finds holes in coverage and uses quickness to elude defenders. It’s never a bad idea to look Cooper’s way, and the offense feeds off his dynamic play. Who’s that Kevin White guy again?
Michael Crabtree put together a solid outing with Chargers cornerback Brandon Flowers in coverage. The veteran wideout scored an early touchdown to propel the Raiders off to an early lead.
The absence of a consistent slot receiver remains a problem. Seth Roberts registered more penalties than catches. Andre Holmes didn’t register a catch for the third consecutive game. We might see Rod Streater take the field sooner than later.
Tight End
Offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave didn’t bluff when he spoke about increasing Walford’s role within the offense. The rookie tight end caught two passes, one for a 23-yard touchdown. He’s the X-factor downfield needed to work the safety and exploit busted coverages.
Mychal Rivera didn’t play a huge role in the passing attack, but he recovered two onside kicks as part of the Raiders' hands unit on special teams. Although it plays a small part, his recoveries helped seal the victory.
Offensive Line
The men in the trenches opened lanes for the running backs and didn’t allow the defense to harass the quarterback. Carr took one spill in the backfield, but looked relaxed in the pocket for the majority of the game. He’ll certainly thank his five bodyguards up front.
Offensive tackle Donald Penn lost his cool late in the game. As the Chargers tried to rally a comeback, he committed a couple of unnecessary-roughness penalties that stalled or pushed drives backward. As a veteran, he has to know better and do better in critical situations.
Defensive Line
Rivers doesn’t stand behind the most solid offensive line, but the Raiders couldn’t grab hold of the Chargers signal-caller on Sunday. San Diego allowed one sack, but the defensive line helped stifle an already-stagnant ground attack.
Linebackers
Malcolm Smith ran the show from the first drive of the game. He intercepted Rivers to put the offense inside the 20-yard line in scoring position. Smith also recorded the only sack for the Raiders.
Defensive Backs
Hayden can finally avoid overly aggressive criticism for at least one week. He intercepted Rivers in the second quarter and played physical for most of the game.
T.J. Carrie, David Amerson, Neiko Thorpe and Charles Woodson took the field with the same disruptive mentality. The formula worked for three quarters until prevent defensive mode set in with a huge lead going into the fourth quarter.
Special Teams
A small number of people worried about kicker Sebastian Janikowski’s two missed fields against the Denver Broncos in Week 5. He shook off the minor slump to nail three field goals and four extra points.
Coaching
In the first half, the coaching staff deserved an "A" for instructing all units to take the bull by the horns and wrestle that bull to the ground for a submission hold.
In the second half, defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr. seemingly turned his attack dogs into poodles with a less aggressive, nonchalant approach. The soft defense allowed the Chargers to extend the game and shrink a 24-point lead down to eight points.
Norton must realize a defense that shuts an opposing offense out of the end zone in the first half should continue to play rough and aggressive. His defensive unit has to keep its feet on the opponents neck until the opposition waves the white flag by inserting their backup quarterback.
Carr's Laser-Accurate Arm
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It’s surprising that Carr’s play goes unnoticed at times because he’s become so fluid with his throws. He’s not a turnover machine, doesn’t take snaps with happy feet and maintains his accuracy when rolling outside the pocket.
The Raiders' signal-caller found another young developing weapon within the offense in Walford. That connection could become just as dynamic as AC/DC, in reference to Carr and Cooper.
The basis of building a winning team revolves around finding a quarterback. We’re only seven weeks into the season, but Carr’s development provides hope that the offense will continue to ascend with his growth.
D.J. Hayden Showing Improvement
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During the bye week, Norton looked local reporters in the eyes and said:
"He’s making plays. He’s covering people. His coverage is a lot tighter. His confidence is growing. For young players, confidence is really important. You really have to find a lot of the positive things that they’re doing and really build their confidence. He’s growing into one of the better corners in the league.
"
Laughter may have ensued after those comments. However, Hayden made plays and showed a physical aspect to his game on Sunday. Norton’s words may go beyond a coach speaking up for his player.
Yes, it’s one game. Hayden didn’t play perfect coverage, but who does throughout an entire game? He’s not the constant draw for eye rolls and Twitter outbursts about poor coverage downfield. He’s starting to resemble a decent slot cornerback. Fans often give him a hard time; now it’s time to give him credit when it’s due.
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Prevent Defense Keeps Chargers Alive
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If the Raiders don’t learn from Sunday, prevent defense will eventually cost them a game. The Raiders defense ball-hawked and knocked receivers around the field. What’s the point of allowing unnecessary yards when the defense clearly showed the ability to cover the Chargers’ aerial attack?
The Raiders have to learn how to close out games by making plays on defense instead of watching opposing teams scratch and claw their way back into contention. The same scenario happened against the Cleveland Browns in Week 3.
Note to Norton: Once you let the dogs out, don’t call them back until they’ve chewed the flesh off the bone.
Del Rio: Fourth-Quarter Teaching Opportunity
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Head coach Jack Del Rio probably enjoyed the win, but he showed disdain for the team’s lack of killer instinct in the fourth quarter, per San Francisco Chronicle writer Vic Tafur via Twitter.
“Del Rio said first three quarters were "longest sustained period of good football we've had.” Fourth quarter is a teaching opportunity.
The New York Jets, a potential playoff team, travels to Oakland next week. The Raiders must button up their fourth-quarter play. The Jets come in as tough defensive team, and it could be a close game down the wire. A relaxed fourth quarter may separate the winner from the loser in that matchup.
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Week 6 statistics and play-by-play analysis provided by NFL.com.
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