San Diego Chargers vs. Oakland Raiders: Full Report Card Grades for Oakland
After a tumultuous bye week highlighted by the firing of Dennis Allen, the Oakland Raiders headed into their Week 6 matchup against the rival San Diego Chargers as something of a mystery. How would they react to the new leadership of interim head coach Tony Sparano?
Oakland came out on Sunday with an emphatic answer.
The Raiders had by far their best performance of the season as they went toe-to-toe with what's been one of the best teams this season. San Diego entered Sunday's game with an offense and defense that are both ranked among the NFL's best, and Oakland matched them blow for blow over four quarters.
As ESPN.com's Bill Williamson noted, Sparano made a point after the game that moral victories don't mean anything, and that's true in the standings. But it can't be denied that it'll certainly mean something in the locker room.
Although Oakland is still winless, the team finally found some things it can build on going forward. If the Raiders can maintain this level of play, the wins will come.
Here are the grades for every position group on the roster.
Quarterback
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The Raiders have their franchise quarterback.
Derek Carr had teased with his potential, but he was yet to be able to maintain a high level of play over four quarters. It would appear in flashes but then disappear again. Sunday was the first time he was able to sustain that level of performance, and he showed for the first time what he can really do.
Carr finished the game 18-of-34 for 282 yards, four touchdowns and one interception. The one area where he underperformed was in completion percentage (52.9 percent), which is lower than he's averaged for the season. But this had a lot to do with the receivers and tight ends dropping passes. Aside from this, Carr did everything right.
Much of the focus will be on Carr's final pass, an interception that effectively ended the game. But that one pass doesn't take away from his incredible overall performance. It's also important to recognize that this performance wasn't a fluke. Carr has the ability to play this well every week, and he'll become more consistence with experience.
After more than a decade of trying to find Rich Gannon's replacement, the Raiders have finally found him.
Grade: A-
Running Back
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Since Week 1, there's been no explanation regarding why the running backs had been getting so few touches. If you look at the stats, they've been ineffective, but they hadn't been given the opportunity. They were given the touches this week, and the increase in production followed.
Darren McFadden had 14 carries spread out over four quarters. He finished with 80 yards while averaging 5.7 per carry, and he was more effective as the game progressed. It was clear toward the end of the game that he had worn down the defense as he was picking up yards in bunches. If he had finished with 20 carries, he certainly would've broken 100 yards and likely found his way into the end zone.
Maurice Jones-Drew had only four carries, but he turned them into 30 yards and was also effective.
Oakland finally showed some commitment to the running game, and McFadden and Jones-Drew showed how effective they can be. If that commitment continues, the Oakland running game will have the impact it was projected to have.
Grade: B-
Fullback
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Marcel Reece continues to be a mystery on offense. He gets the occasional carry, but he's more dangerous as a pass-catcher. This is where he's most often used, which is what makes his recently developed inability to hold on to the ball more worrisome.
In recent games, Reece has had a few passes go right off his hands. It's now been established that, as a fullback, he's never going to see a lot of touches. But he needs to do more with the opportunities he does get.
His opportunities will increase if his production does. Until then, his role will remain a minor one in the offense.
Grade: D
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Tight End
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The tight ends continue to be a non-factor in Oakland.
Mychal Rivera was the only tight end with any targets (three), but he ended with no receptions, even with some passes hitting him in the hands.
In a game when the Oakland offense finally clicked, the tight end position was the one exception. The performance was especially disappointing because of the potential at the position. Tight ends are also key to the passing game being dangerous over the middle, but this element was absent against San Diego.
The blocking from the tight ends was solid, and they avoided any major mistakes. Aside from that, they had no impact on the game. The Raiders are going to have to figure out a way to make Rivera a more consistent contributor.
Grade: D-
Wide Receiver
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There's still no clear No. 1 receiver on the Oakland roster, but the Raiders might have found a good option for the role.
Andre Holmes had a breakout game, finishing with 121 yards and two touchdowns on four receptions. He was dangerous all game stretching the field, and he was productive when the ball came his way. Against San Diego, he emerged as Oakland's most dangerous weapon on the outside.
James Jones continues to provide what the Raiders brought him in for: veteran leadership and consistency. He had another solid game and caught his third touchdown of the season.
Brice Butler has officially established himself ahead of Denarius Moore on the depth chart. He exhibited the same skills he did during the preseason: good hands and crisp route running. He also showed true breakaway speed on his 47-yard touchdown reception.
The one area that still needs improvement is what should be at the top of every wide receiver's priority list: catching the ball. Carr threw 16 incompletions, but several of those went off the receiver's hands.
The Raiders will still look for a top receiver for next season, but this group showed that it can not only be effective; it can also be dangerous.
Grade: B+
Offensive Line
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The biggest question heading into the game was how the team would deal with the absence of Khalif Barnes at right tackle. Menelik Watson stepped in to replace him, and he was able to hold up under the pressure.
It was also a good sign that the Raiders had their most productive game on the ground. After having no rushing attack to speak of through the first four games, Oakland was finally able to get the running backs going, and this was due in large part to the offensive line finally imposing its will. As the game wore on, the running lanes got wider, and the running backs were able to exploit them.
The offensive line didn't give up a sack, and there were plenty of opportunities for the running backs to make plays. It bent but never broke, and it had an overall solid performance.
Grade: B+
Defensive Line
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The defensive line was able to cut down on the big running plays it's been allowing this season, but it was still unable to make a major impact on the game.
The Chargers came in averaging less than three yards a carry. On Sunday against Oakland, they rushed for 116 yards while averaging 3.5 yards per attempt. It also became clear that the defensive line wore down as the game progressed, and it put up little resistance when Branden Oliver rushed it in for the game-winning touchdown.
To compensate for the defensive line's inability to create pressure on the quarterback, the Raiders incorporated more blitzes, but it didn't help. The line did sack Philip Rivers once, but he was otherwise able to survey the field and pick out his targets for most of the day.
The defensive line played better, but it was still mostly ineffective both in stopping the run and in rushing the passer.
Grade: D+
Linebacker
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Miles Burris should be given credit for stepping into a new position and playing his heart out every down. There's no questioning his desire. Unfortunately, this isn't enough to cover the fact that he's been exposed at middle linebacker.
Burris was frequently left alone in coverage, and the mismatch was obvious. Per ESPN.com's Bill Williamson, Rivers was 8-of-10 for 137 yards when the Raiders blitzed. This left Burris covering one-on-one, and Rivers went to whoever Burris was covering all game. He just doesn't have the coverage ability to be Oakland's long-term solution at middle linebacker.
Khalil Mack continues to have quietly efficient games. He hasn't underperformed, but he also hasn't made any of the impact plays the team expects from the No. 5 overall pick. Mack has shown that he can be a solid every-down linebacker. Now he needs to show that he'll be a deciding factor in games.
Sio Moore returned from injury, and he looked like he hadn't missed a game. He remains Oakland's most explosive and impactful linebacker. He was once again solid against the run, as a pass-rusher and in coverage. He finished the game as the team's leading tackler with 10.
Aside from Burris' struggles in pass coverage, it was an overall solid performance from the group. The only thing missing was game-changing plays, something that Mack will need to address going forward.
Grade: C
Secondary
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Rivers had a good game, but the secondary wasn't pushed around like it had been. The group was getting its hands on balls and made solid tackles in the open field.
Carlos Rogers and Tarell Brown, who have disappointed for much of the season, showed signs of why they were brought in this offseason. They gave up some plays, but they were able to maintain coverage for much of the game.
The standout of the group was rookie TJ Carrie, who finished the game with four tackles and two passes defended. It was obvious early in the game that Rivers was trying to pick on the rookie, and Carrie showed he was up to the challenge. His coverage was tight, and he made aggressive plays on the ball.
The biggest problem for the group was that when it got beat, it got beat big. Seven different players had at least one reception for San Diego. They each had at least one reception of 16 yards, and five of them had a reception of 20 or more yards.
The results weren't there, but the secondary at least put up a fight. This did little to affect the outcome of the game, but it at least showed there's a renewed sense of pride in the unit.
Grade: D+
Special Teams
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Through the first four games, Sebastian Janikowski had only three field-goal attempts. He'd gone 3-of-3, but he had yet to face a situation where he had to kick under pressure. That moment arrived on Sunday, and Janikowski was unable to come through as he missed a 53-yarder to end the first half.
The problem wasn't the distance. It was the accuracy. Janikowski hasn't had a lot of opportunities, but that's something he should be used to as a kicker. He has to be ready to perform whenever his number is called. The miss was made even worse by the fact that three points ended up being the difference in the game. Janikowski is not responsible for the loss, but the team can't afford to leave points on the table.
Marquette King continues to struggle with distance on his punts. After leading the league last season in average yards per punt, he's ranked 20th this season with an average of 44.2 yards per attempt. That's almost five yards fewer than last year.
The one time he did get good distance, he ended up outkicking the coverage. This allowed a big return by San Diego that resulted in a short field and set up what turned out to be the game-winning touchdown. The responsibility for this falls on both the punter and the coverage team.
The bright spot on special teams was Carrie. He had been returning punts, and this week he also took over on kick returns. He was good in both, averaging 10 yards per punt return and over 28 yards on kick returns. The offense had good starting field position throughout the game, and Carrie was a major reason why.
Grade: C-
Coaching
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Interim head coach Tony Sparano's influence was evident from the opening coin flip. The Raiders elected to receive after winning the toss, a sign of the aggressive play-calling that was to come.
Greg Olson opened up the playbook, and the offense showed it was up to the task. Oakland consistently took shots downfield and found success. The running game was depended on more than it had been, and it also showed that it could produce given the added responsibility.
The defense was still unable to get stops, but that wasn't due to the play-calling. Jason Tarver had an aggressive approach that included more blitzes, but the personnel wasn't able to do anything with the opportunities. The success San Diego had offensively had more to do with the difference in talent than Oakland's defensive game plan.
If anything, the play-calling might have been too aggressive. Down only three points and on the edge of field-goal range, did the team really need to take a shot downfield? Rookie cornerback Jason Verrett made a great play on the ball, and he should be given credit for that. This was the one questionable call in an otherwise solid game plan.
In his debut as the Raiders' head coach, Sparano made one thing clear: Oakland is no longer going to just sit back and hope for the best. The Raiders came out swinging and gave themselves a chance to win. Sparano deserves credit for giving the players something they hadn't had all season, which was opportunities to make plays. They showed they were capable of meeting the higher expectations.
Grade: B+
Final Grades
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| Position Unit | Overall Grade |
| QB | A- |
| RB | B- |
| FB | D |
| TE | D- |
| WR | B+ |
| OL | B+ |
| DL | D+ |
| LB | C |
| Secondary | D+ |
| Special Teams | C- |
| Coaching | B+ |
| Cumulative Grade | B- |
Oakland's performance on Sunday was a contrast between the offense's breakout performance and the defense's continuing inability to gets stops and get off the field.
Offensively, the Raiders finally tapped into their underrated potential. It might sound simple—and maybe it is—but the plan was to let the quarterback throw, the running backs run and the receivers catch passes. They weren't protected. They were allowed to play, and the results reflected this.
Defensively, the Raiders were game against the Chargers, but they didn't have the personnel to keep up. San Diego was efficient on the ground and extremely dangerous in the air, and Oakland couldn't stop it. The unit still gave up 31 points, but the more aggressive game plan will eventually lead to more impact plays.
What is clear is that the Raiders are going to enter games with the intention to be the aggressors. The talent might not be there to be able to execute everything effectively, but it will at least give the team a chance to win games.
Sparano will continue to provide the players with chances to succeed. The results will eventually follow.
Unless otherwise noted, stats provided by from ESPN.com.
Share your thoughts and opinions on Twitter @BrianJ_Flores.
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