San Diego Chargers vs. Oakland Raiders: Full Report Card Grades for San Diego
It was a nail-biter, but the San Diego Chargers got the job done on Sunday, beating the Oakland Raiders by their slimmest margin of victory all season, 31-28.
Oakland came out firing under interim coach Tony Sparano, but Derek Carr's lone mistake in crunch time cost the Raiders their first potential victory of 2014. Jason Verrett, who was injured earlier in the game, picked off Carr in the final minutes to seal San Diego's win, and Branden Oliver's go-ahead score with 1:56 remaining made it all possible.
Enough with the stalling, here's how the units graded out.
Quarterback
1 of 10
| CMP/ATT | YDS | AVG | TD | INT | RTG | |
| Philip Rivers | 22/34 | 313 | 9.2 | 3 | 0 | 123.8 |
All Rivers has done this season is win football games, and that was apparent with the 21st game-winning drive of his career on Sunday. All three of Rivers' touchdown passes came on third down, and on the final drive, he ran for a key first down that helped set up Oliver's TD run.
He's done everything his team has asked of him thus far, and because of it, the Chargers continue to roll. If you didn't consider him an MVP candidate before, you have to now.
Grade: A
Running Back
2 of 10
| CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | |
| Branden Oliver | 26 | 101 | 3.9 | 1 |
| Ronnie Brown | 2 | 2 | 1.0 | 0 |
On his final three carries, Oliver pounded his way to 28 yards and the go-ahead score inside of two minutes remaining. The 5'7" back chipped away at Oakland's front seven before leaping over the pile at the 1-yard line to put his team ahead.
The Chargers have lost their top three backs to injuries early this season, but Oliver has proved himself a capable replacement for the time beingand possibly the future if he continues to dazzle on the big stage.
Grade: A
Wide Receiver and Tight End
3 of 10
| REC | YDS | AVG | TD | TGTS | |
| Malcom Floyd | 5 | 103 | 20.6 | 1 | 7 |
| Ladarius Green | 4 | 60 | 15.0 | 0 | 5 |
| Eddie Royal | 2 | 49 | 24.5 | 1 | 2 |
| Antonio Gates | 3 | 27 | 9.0 | 1 | 8 |
| Keenan Allen | 3 | 27 | 9.0 | 0 | 6 |
Having Floyd back from injury has made all the difference for San Diego this season. "M-80" never fails to amaze us with some insane grabs, including this huge 44-yard catch against Charles Woodson that helped set up a touchdown to Gates.
Royal was primed to have another good game as well after his TD catch in the first quarter, but he sustained a rib injury on a hard fall that followed his 20-yard catch on third down.
Allen was once again held scoreless, but he continues to do the little things to help his team win ball games.
Grade: A
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Offensive Line
4 of 10
The San Diego offensive line held up well in regard to keeping Rivers upright as he was sacked just once by C.J. Wilson, who overpowered Chad Rinehart up the middle. When pressure from the edges was present, Rivers also had plenty of room to step up and make good throws.
Running lanes were there for Oliver, especially down the stretch when the Chargers needed a score. Offensive coordinator Frank Reich opted to run it four straight times on the game-winning drive, probably because he felt confident in the way his front five was moving the pile.
Where this group had trouble, though, was in the third quarter. The Chargers offense made its way to the Oakland 21-yard line, but was promptly moved back by consecutive penalties—Rich Ohrnberger was flagged for holding and King Dunlap was cited for illegal use of hands. Nick Novak attempted a 54-yard field goal and made it on that possession, but a holding penalty on Ladarius Green nullified the points.
There were a few mistakes from the big guys up front, but they came through late to get Oliver in the end zone.
Grade: B
Defensive Line
5 of 10
| TKL | TFL | |
| Kendall Reyes | 4 | 1 |
| Corey Liuget | 2 | 0 |
| Sean Lissemore | 1 | 0 |
Reyes had himself a day on the defensive line with four stops, but the group struggled as a whole putting a plug on Oakland's rushing attack. Darren McFadden gashed the front seven for 80 yards on 14 carries and Maurice Jones-Drew chipped in 30 yards on four carries.
Getting pressure on Carr was also a weak point for the defensive line. The Raiders formed a solid pocket around their rookie QB and gave him all the time in the world to set his feet and throw. Liuget, who looked like he was on pace for Pro Bowl season to start the year, has since fallen off the map.
Grade: C
Linebacker
6 of 10
| TKL | PD | |
| Donald Butler | 9 | 1 |
| Andrew Gachkar | 3 | 0 |
| Kavell Conner | 2 | 0 |
| Dwight Freeney | 1 | 0 |
| Tourek Williams | 1 | 0 |
| Jeremiah Attaochu | 1 | 0 |
| Jarret Johnson | 0 | 1 |
Even without his running mate (Manti Te'o), Butler continues to show up in a big way with key tackles. Against Oakland, Butler tallied nine stops and nearly added an interception. Johnson was also on the cusp of a pick, but he too let one get away.
Gachkar had somewhat of a rough game with a missed tackle on McFadden in the open field. He was also victimized for a touchdown when Carr fired a laser past him to James Jones. Attaochu was also punished for a mental error when his strip-sack was wiped off the board after replay showed he grabbed Carr's facemask.
Dwight Freeney was another no-show in the sack column for a third straight week. The Raiders thrived off the lack of pressure, which the Chargers have been short on as of late.
Grade: C
Secondary
7 of 10
| TKL | PD | |
| Eric Weddle | 8 | 1 |
| Jason Verrett | 6 | 2 |
| Darrell Stuckey | 4 | 0 |
| Jahleel Addae | 3 | 0 |
| Richard Marshall | 2 | 0 |
| Brandon Flowers | 2 | 2 |
| Marcus Gilchrist | 2 | 1 |
The secondary forced one turnover, but it was a big one that ended Oakland's momentum late in the game. Verrett's first pick of his career couldn't have come in a more suitable fashion, and I still can't believe he got his feet in bounds. If you haven't seen it already, definitely take another look and watch him take the ball right out of Brice Butler's hands.
The bad news, however, was that San Diego allowed the second-most passing yards this season with 282 (Arizona had 294). Flowers, the team's Pro Bowl corner, was also lost for the game when he left with a groin injury. The Chargers may have survived this time, but life without him would look grim considering how well he's played this season.
Shareece Wright is still recovering from an MCL sprain and the severity of Flowers' injury still isn't known, but from the looks of it, injuries are now plaguing the secondary.
Grade: B
Special Teams
8 of 10
Nick Novak tied John Carney's team record of 29 consecutive field goals made with his 30-yarder in the fourth quarter. Novak might have even broken the record had his 54-yard attempt in the third quarter not been negated by a penalty.
Kick coverage was a weak point for special teams as T.J. Carrie managed to bring back three kicks for 85 yards and three punts for 30 yards. There were times when it seemed like Carrie was going to go all the way, but that thankfully didn't happen.
Grade: B
Coaching
9 of 10
I, along with everyone else, don't exactly know if the fake-punt pass on 4th-and-30 was Kevin Spencer's call, but Mike McCoy gave his special teams coordinator an earful either way:
"Not sure if Mike McCoy was in on decision to go for fake punt. He lit into special teams coordinator Kevin Spencer on sidelines.
— Eric Williams (@eric_d_williams) October 12, 2014"
Had it worked, it might have been a genius call. But it didn't, and the consequence of that decision was a touchdown pass by Oakland on the other end that put the Raiders up 21-14 in the third quarter.
John Pagano placed a gamble of his own on a 3rd-and-7, sending Marcus Gilchrist on a blitz that wound up going for a 77-yard touchdown from Carr to Andre Holmes. Brandon Flowers had no help over the top and was easily passed by the faster Holmes.
Frank Reich generated another winning formula on offense, mixing in 33 running plays with 35 passing plays. The decision to feed Oliver often paid off heavily, and Reich stuck with his guns late in the game by running Oliver on the last four plays of the game-winning drive.
Some ups and downs with the coaching staff, but they got the W in the end.
Grade: C
Final Grade
10 of 10
| Positional Unit | Grade |
| Quarterback | A |
| Running Back | A |
| Wide Receiver and Tight End | A |
| Offensive Line | B |
| Defensive Line | C |
| Linebacker | C |
| Secondary | B |
| Special Teams | B |
| Coaching | C |
| Cumulative Grade | B |
It should have been a dominant win over a winless Raiders team, but it's a win nonetheless. The Chargers moved to 5-1 on the season, joining the Dallas Cowboys for the best record in football. San Diego's focus is now on to the Kansas City Chiefs, who were narrowly defeated by San Francisco before its bye week.
Injuries haven't stopped piling up for McCoy's club, but he continues to motivate his players and preach the next-man-up philosophy. Here's to hoping the Chargers still have a next man if these injuries continue every week.
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