Oakland Raiders vs. San Diego Chargers: Full Report Card Grades for Oakland
The Oakland Raiders walked off the field on Sunday with a sentiment on their minds that's happened too often this season: so close, yet so far. The defense had performed well enough to win against the San Diego Chargers, but the offense couldn't do the same. The result was a 13-6 loss.
The defense is far from elite, but it has vastly improved as the season has progressed. It once again showed how much better it is now by locking down the Chargers offense for most of the game.
While the defense did allow a touchdown, it did so following a Derek Carr fumble on Oakland's first play of the game. The Chargers recovered on the Oakland 22-yard line, and they got into the end zone before a minute had run off of the clock. The defense then held Philip Rivers and the San Diego offense to six points over the next 59 minutes.
It's now clear that what's keeping the Raiders out of the win column is the offense. As has been the case most of the season, it was a frustrating sequence of three-and-outs. The offense can't figure out a way to pick up first downs and stay on the field, much less generate points.
The Chargers could have, and should have, been beaten today. But the Oakland offense let the defense's best performance of the season go to waste.
Here are the grades for each position group following Oakland's 10th loss of the season.
Quarterback
1 of 11
A rookie quarterback requires a solid running game to ease his transition into the NFL. Not only has Derek Carr had to deal with a weak running game, he's had to try to succeed while dealing with a historically bad one.
The offense once again failed to pick up first downs—the Raiders had only nine on the day compared to San Diego's 18. The unit also failed to produce enough points, but it's unfair to hold Carr solely responsible for this. He had to scramble away from pressure several times, and he regularly found himself in 3rd-and-long situations. Yet he still had some big completions when given the opportunity.
This isn't to excuse Carr's shortcomings. He missed some throws and at times didn't effectively go through his progressions. He also fumbled on the first play of the game. This led to San Diego's only touchdown, which proved to be the deciding score.
But there's no question he's being asked to carry far too much of the burden on offense. His performance will improve as the offense around him becomes more balanced.
Until then, he'll continue to struggle under the weight of Oakland's one-dimensional, pass-heavy attack.
Grade: D-
Running Back
2 of 11
Up until now, the only think Oakland had proven in the running game is that Darren McFadden and Maurice Jones-Drew are not the answer. On Sunday, it was more of the same as they combined for a pitiful 27 yards on 12 carries, an average of 2.3 yards per attempt.
The uncertainly remains regarding what exactly the problem is. Are they not getting enough touches, or are they just not capable of doing the job? Whichever it is, it has become clear now that the combination of these coaches and these running backs doesn't work.
The one thing that Oakland might have proven is that perhaps the solution to the problem is already on the team. For much of the season, fans have been calling for Latavius Murray to get more carries, especially given how bad the running game has been. On Sunday, he rushed the ball only four times, but he converted that into 43 yards and two first downs.
Murray's run of 23 yards is Oakland's only run of 20 or more yards by a running back this season. And his two rushing first downs are the Raiders' only ones in the last two games. That's also twice as many rushing first downs as Jones-Drew has all season.
This is far too small a sample upon which to make any major decisions, but it should be enough to guarantee Murray more carries, at least for next week. It was another historically bad rushing performance from the Raiders, but Murray's flash of success could prove to be the silver lining.
Grade: F
Tight End
3 of 11
Mychal Rivera is currently enjoying the best stretch of his career. Unfortunately, he was unable to keep that going against the Chargers. He had some minor success, but he didn't have nearly enough of an impact.
He finished with 40 yards on three receptions, including one catch for 33 yards. Ultimately, Rivera's performance suffered because of a lack of opportunities. He had only five targets for the game.
Brian Leonhardt also made an appearance, but he had only one catch for four yards. He remains a non-factor in the passing game and is primarily in for his blocking.
The tight ends didn't have an impact on the game, which is indicative of the passing game as a whole; they had only six targets combined. That's enough to make some plays, but not enough to affect the outcome of the game.
Grade: D
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Wide Receiver
4 of 11
Andre Holmes had a rough day. He finished with only two catches on six targets for 19 yards. He's Oakland's No. 1 receiver, and he has the size and speed to play the part. But he struggles to consistently get open and make plays. Carr went to Holmes often, but the wide receiver failed to make more of the opportunities.
James Jones, who has been the team's most consistent receiver this season, had a very quiet game. He finished with 35 yards on two catches, but 28 of those came on the team's final drive. As the veteran of the group, he's expected to provide consistent production, even if he doesn't provide big plays. Against San Diego, he was unable to provide either.
The biggest mystery remains the coaches' fascination with Kenbrell Thompkins. He's shown some potential, but he's been given Brice Butler's playing time based on some impressive practices. Butler earned that time with his performance in games, and he still makes plays when given the opportunities. The passing game is better with Butler on the field.
With Carr only having 16 completions on the day, there weren't enough catches to go around. The wide receivers didn't have many opportunities, and they couldn't do much with the few they had.
Grade: D-
Offensive Line
5 of 11
With starting left guard Gabe Jackson out again, it was another week in which the offensive line had to be shuffled around. Khalif Barnes stepped in for Jackson, and Menelik Watson was given sole responsibility at right tackle.
Carr was sacked only twice, and he was kept clean for most of the game. It helps that Carr is mobile and very aware in the pocket, but the offensive line held up well against the pass rush.
For much of the season, I've noted that perhaps the reason that the running game has struggled is because the offensive line has been unable to consistently open up good running lanes. But what Murray was able to do on only four carries suggests that the lanes are there, and perhaps the running backs are the ones not using them effectively.
Overall, it was another solid, though unspectacular, performance.
Grade: C-
Defensive Line
6 of 11
Injuries and under-performance have introduced new faces into the rotation for Oakland's defensive line. Benson Mayowa, C.J. Wilson and Justin Ellis have received more snaps as the season has progressed, and the unit has benefited because of it.
Through the early part of the season, the Oakland defense was picked apart by opposing quarterbacks because they had so much time to throw. But the defensive line has had more success creating pressure and being disruptive. This was evident against Rivers. He was uncomfortable for much of the day thanks to the line's ability to get a push up front.
Antonio Smith came up with his first sack as a Raider. For a player who's going through a terrible stretch in his career—he's been on the losing end of 24 straight games dating back to last season—it was good to see him enjoy some personal success.
The line was also solid against the run. The Chargers have been bad on the ground all season, and the Raiders didn't let them change that. Ryan Mathews had a decent individual performance, but San Diego running backs overall averaged fewer than four yards a carry.
The defense has played much better in recent games, and the improved play of the defensive line is a big reason why.
Grade: B-
Linebacker
7 of 11
The linebacking corps continue to be Oakland's most consistent and reliable group on defense. Sio Moore, Khalil Mack and Miles Burris have developed good chemistry. And while they still let some plays get by them, they manage to have a positive impact in almost every game.
Moore had another Moore-like day. He had nine tackles, six of them solo, and once again frequently found himself around the ball. He was great against the run and solid in coverage. He has solidified himself as Oakland's weak-side linebacker for the forseeable future.
Burris has been the target of much criticism, not always without cause, but at this point his play has proven him above this. He was forced into action at middle linebacker due to injuries, so he's playing out of position, but he's embraced the role. His performances have been more and more reliable, and he's no longer a weak link.
The highlight for the group came in the fourth quarter when Mack finally picked up his first sack. On third down and with the Chargers deep in their own territory, Mack drove King Dunlap upfield past Rivers, then spun back and caught the quarterback from behind as he tried to get away.
It was a great display of strength, speed and agility. Mack finished with five tackles (two for a loss), a sack and a quarterback hurry.
This might have been the group's best all-around performance of the year. Following the Chargers' touchdown in the first minute of the game, the Oakland defense shut down the San Diego offense. The linebackers were a major reason for this success.
Grade: B+
Secondary
8 of 11
No unit inspired as little faith heading into the season as the secondary, but it has slowly turned into a relatively effective unit. Even though it's been put together on the fly because injuries have forced the coaches to shuffle players in and out almost weekly, the group has found ways to succeed.
Tarell Brown has been the one consistent cornerback, and he's provided the veteran leadership at the position that Oakland expected. He's not a big-play type of cornerback, but he made no major mistakes against the Chargers. He was good in coverage and in tackling.
For the first time, D.J. Hayden and T.J. Carrie spent significant time on the field together, and the results were encouraging. Carrie struggled early, and he did get beat for the touchdown, but he was solid the rest of the game. As he's done all season, he was tight in coverage, and he continues to show a great ability to find the ball mid-flight and make a play on it.
Like Burris, Hayden has been an easy target for criticism, but he continues to prove his critics wrong. On Sunday, he continued to exhibit skill as an open-field tackler. Even when he did allow a reception, he showed great closing ability and was able to keep the receivers from picking up much, if anything, after the catch.
Like the cornerbacks, safeties Charles Woodson and Brandian Ross have played very well. Woodson has been the secondary's MVP, and Ross has come out of nowhere to regularly provide good production both in the secondary and at the line.
The fact is that a secondary is always going to give up plays. It's a part of the game. The question is whether you can reduce the number of those plays, and the secondary did that against the Chargers. It was unable to come up with any turnovers, but it held Rivers to under 200 passing yards. And aside from the short-field touchdown in the game's opening minute, the unit kept San Diego out of the end zone.
Grade: B
Special Teams
9 of 11
As has been the case all season, Marquette King had another busy day with nine punts, and he again performed admirably. He dropped two inside the 20, averaged 49.6 yards per attempt and had a long of 62.
On a day when field position was at a premium and King had to punt from near or within his own end zone several times, he needed to be effective, and he was. Oakland spent much of the day holding San Diego at bay, and King's leg was a major reason why the team was able to succeed.
Sebastian Janikowski had his number called twice, and he hit on both attempts. He accounted for all of the Raiders' points on Sunday. Unfortunately, the offense was unable to get within field-goal range more often.
With so many punts, the coverage team had a busy day, and it had a great game. King punted several times from deep within Oakland territory, ensuring that the Chargers had good field position. The coverage team made sure it wasn't great. On nine punts, San Diego had only four returns thanks to Oakland's coverage up the field.
The one area that struggled was the return game. T.J. Carrie is the Raiders' best return man, and that's really why he was drafted in the first place. But he's become too valuable as a cornerback to risk injury on a return, so kick return and punt return duties have been given Latavius Murray and Denarius Moore, respectively.
Murray showed flashes, but Moore is not the answer on punts; he had seven yards on three returns. Oakland has to find a way to get something more than that out of returns.
Grade: B
Coaching
10 of 11
It's tough to see the great work done by defensive coordinator Jason Tarver squandered by offensive coordinator Greg Olson's misguided notion of an NFL offense. It's hard to watch from the outside. We can only imagine what it's like in the locker room.
How bad has Olson's offense been? The Raiders are staring down the barrel of a winless season thanks to an embarrassingly inept offense. The team is also well on its way to owning one of the worst rushing attacks in the recorded history of the league (seriously—it's that bad).
The Raiders once again lost the possession battle, this time by almost 10 minutes, and managed only nine first downs en route to a pitiful six-point performance. And Olson has done nothing about it. The offense is as bad each week as it was the last. And it'll be the same the next game.
Meanwhile, Tarver has turned this Oakland defense into an inspirational unit that fights on every down and finds ways to get results. Following San Diego's opening-minute touchdown that resulted from an Oakland turnover, Tarver's defense held Rivers to six points over the next 59 minutes. That's impressive.
The fact is that the defense has done enough to win at least a few games. But no matter how well it plays, the team can't win without scoring more points.
For whatever reason, Tony Sparano refuses to step in and do something about the offense. But he has the power to make changes, and he hasn't. This makes him just as responsible for the offense's failures.
A coaching change in Oakland is now guaranteed for next season. This means a new head coach, and he's sure to bring in a whole new staff with him. No one will be sad about Olson's departure. Sparano is a players coach, although being the head man doesn't seem to be his calling. But given the job he's done, it'll be sad to see Tarver go.
Tarver gets an A. Olson gets an F. Sparano gets points for letting Tarver continue to succeed, but he loses them for allowing Olson to continue to fail and standing by as it happens.
Grade: D+
Final Grades
11 of 11
| Positional Unit | Overall Grade |
| QB | D- |
| RB | F |
| TE | D |
| WR | D- |
| OL | C- |
| DL | B- |
| LB | B+ |
| Secondary | B |
| Special Teams | B |
| Coaching | D+ |
| Cumulative Grade | C- |
As of Monday, November 17, it'll have been exactly one calendar year since the last time the Oakland Raiders experienced a victory. With the four games coming up on the schedule—the St. Louis Rams, the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs twice—it could be awhile before this streak is finally broken.
Against San Diego, we saw what's kept Oakland without a win. The defense can produce a good performance. It's done so several times this season. But aside from one game, the offense has been ineffective.
The Oakland defense has its flaws, but it will do enough to win a game. The question is whether or not the offense will step up and do the same. If it does, the Raiders will get a win. If it doesn't, the once proud Raiders franchise will have a winless season in its history.
The team has six games left to try and figure out how to produce an effective offensive performance.
Unless otherwise noted, all stats taken from ESPN.com.
Share your thoughts and opinions on Twitter @BrianJ_Flores.
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