Raiders vs. Chargers: Postgame Grades, Notes and Quotes for San Diego

The San Diego Chargers figured the worst was over after two heartbreaking losses in Weeks 5 and 6, but nothing could have prepared them for Sunday's embarrassing 37-29 loss at home to the Oakland Raiders.

For three quarters, the Raiders dominated the Chargers; at one point, the score read 37-6 in the visitors' favor. San Diego managed to save face, however, by scoring 23 unanswered points in the fourth quarter for a more respectable final score.

Derek Carr threw touchdown passes to Amari Cooper, Clive Walford and Michael Crabtree. Latavius Murray rushed for 85 yards with a touchdown, and the Raiders (3-3) won in San Diego for the first time since 2011.

Danny Woodhead caught two touchdown passes from Philip Rivers, and Ladarius Green hauled in another. Rivers threw for 336 yards but was picked off twice as the Chargers (2-5) lost a third straight game.

Click ahead for this week's position grades, notes and quotes.

Position Grades for Chargers

Lenny Ignelzi/Associated Press

Position	Grade
QB	C
RB	B-
WR	C
TE	C+
OL	B
DL	D-
LB	F
DB	F
Special Teams	C+
Coaching	F

Playing from behind early on, Rivers attempted 58 passes and completed 38 for 336 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions.

Going up against the 31st-ranked pass defense and coming off the 503 yards passing he had against Green Bay last week, you'd figure Rivers would have a field day against the Raiders, but that wasn't the case at all. He wasn't in sync with his receivers from the start, and the absence of tight end Antonio Gates didn't do him any favors.

Still, according to the CBS broadcast, Rivers' 839 passing yards in Weeks 6 and 7 are the most by any quarterback over two games.

Branden Oliver paced the running game with 35 yards on nine rushes, and Danny Woodhead chipped in 26 yards on five rushes. But as expected, San Diego's running backs did the most damage as pass-catchers. Oliver caught six passes for 39 yards, and Woodhead had a career-high 11 catches for 75 yards with two touchdowns. But as good as Woodhead was for San Diego, he got the bulk of his stats in garbage time.

Keenan Allen, playing with a hip injury, caught nine passes for 89 yards. Stevie Johnson had four catches for 50 yards in his return from injury, and Malcom Floyd had only one reception for seven yards. Rivers saw a number of passes get away from him, but his receiving corps also struggled to get open against a mediocre secondary.

With Gates out, Ladarius Green started at tight end for the Chargers and had a decent game with four catches for 45 yards and a touchdown. He also caught a pair of two-point conversions in the fourth quarter as San Diego was trying to eat away at the deficit. Not a bad performance, but not having Gates affected the passing game.

The offensive line, which returned two starters in left tackle King Dunlap and left guard Orlando Franklin, allowed only one sack, and Rivers was hit four times. It's tough to blame the offensive line for poor protection this time, because Rivers had it. However, running the ball continues to be a struggle for the Chargers.

Corey Liuget, oddly enough, led the team with six solo tackles on the defensive line, but the group as a whole didn't perform well. The Raiders averaged five yards a carry in the running game, and Derek Carr was rarely under pressure in the pocket.

Speaking of pressure, or lack thereof, San Diego's outside linebackers were shut out in getting after the quarterback. And at inside linebacker, the combined effort of Donald Butler and Kavell Conner wasn't enough to slow down Oakland's running game, which racked up 130 yards on 26 carries.

The secondary, missing All-Pro safety Eric Weddle (groin), surrendered 282 yards passing and three touchdowns. Raiders rookie Amari Cooper totaled 133 yards on five catches and had two of the biggest plays of the game with catches of 44 and 52 yards. Jimmy Wilson, starting in place of Weddle, had a rough day, allowing the 44-yard catch to Cooper and a 23-yard touchdown to Clive Walford, and was unable to make the tackle on Cooper's 52-yard catch-and-run for a score. 

In the return game, Jacoby Jones had a 53-yard run on a kickoff called back for a holding penalty. It would have been his longest return on the season. And Josh Lambo was 2-of-2 on field goals.

Head coach Mike McCoy was unable to rally the troops as his team was embarrassed by a division rival at home in quite possibly the worst loss of the season. The Chargers have now lost three straight under his watch.

Offensive Struggles for Chargers

Harry How/Getty Images

Drive Start	Plays	Yards	Result
Own 20	3	8	Interception
Own 20	3	4	Punt
Own 20	8	57	Field Goal
Own 16	2	6	Interception
Own 8	3	7	Punt
Own 20	6	8	Punt
Own 20	9	54	Field Goal
Own 18	4	7	Punt
Own 15	4	11	Punt
Own 17	11	83	Touchdown
Own 20	16	80	Touchdown
Own 20	13	80	Touchdown

The Chargers got off to a horrendous start with an interception on the opening drive of the game, and it was all downhill from there. Through the first two quarters, they totaled 139 yards and six points. Rivers, coming off the historic passing performance against Green Bay in Week 6, could not get anything going in the passing game, and the rushing attack was ineffective against one of the league's best run defenses.

Give the Raiders credit for a well-played game on defense, but San Diego was clearly out of sync on offense.

Chargers D Killed by Big Plays

Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

Passing Plays of 10+ Yards	7
Running Plays of 10+ Yards	4

San Diego's defense was beaten up by big plays all afternoon, including one for 44 yards and another for 52. This catch by Amari Cooper should have never been completed with Jimmy Wilson in the perfect position to prevent the play, but credit Cooper for going up and snatching it out of there for a 44-yard gain.

Cooper was also the target of a 52-yard pickup that started from behind the line of scrimmage. A simple wide receiver screen opened the door for a long score and left a pile of San Diego defenders reaching for air. 

Discipline Coming for Liuget?

Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

Corey Liuget may be getting hit with a fine from the league office in the coming days for this kick he put on Raiders offensive tackle Donald Penn.

In the clip, Penn pushes Liuget after the whistle, and Liuget retaliates by kicking Penn with the bottom of his cleats, making contact on Penn's midsection.

On the CBS broadcast, former official Mike Carey said Liuget should have been ejected from the game. However, Penn was the only offender cited for a penalty. Every rivalry game has its skirmishes, but Liuget's actions were brash and unwarranted.

Injuries to Franklin, Perryman

Denis Poroy/Associated Press

Orlando Franklin, who recently returned from an ankle injury that held him out of three games, suffered multiple injuries before being carted off in the fourth quarter. According to Marty Caswell of The Mighty 1090 AM, Franklin had his right ankle wrapped and left knee in a cast after the game.

The Chargers signed Franklin to a five-year, $36.5 million contract in the offseason, but due to injuries he hasn't been able to prove his worth to the club.

Second-round pick Denzel Perryman was also injured while making his second career start in place of Manti Te'o. He went out in the first quarter with an arm injury, and according to Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune, it's a biceps injury, possibly a tear.

Kavell Conner finished the game for Perryman at inside linebacker, but the position's depth is thinning with Te'o nursing an ankle injury of his own.

McCoy on Why Melvin Gordon Didn't Play Until the Second Half

Denis Poroy/Associated Press

Rookie Melvin Gordon, who had been dealing with an ankle injury this week, was held out from playing in the first half and didn't take his first carry until well into the third quarter. Asked why, head coach Mike McCoy said during his postgame news conference, according to Chargers.com, "We had a game plan going in, and we did what was best for the football team."

McCoy also added that Gordon wasn't being punished because of the two fumbles he had last week at Green Bay.

But with the offense struggling as it did in the first half, the Chargers curiously didn't look to Gordon for a spark. In speaking with the media after the game, Gordon said he "felt pretty good" but figured the reason he didn't play the first half was because of injury concerns, via Chargers.com.

Still, Gordon ran the ball seven times for 29 yards and didn't look affected by the injury.

McCoy on First-Half Performance

Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

The Chargers came out extremely flat to start the game, with turnovers, silly penalties and a lack of execution on both side of the ball. Mike McCoy told reporters after the game, via Chargers.com, "Nothing good happened from the first play on. ... It sucks, to be honest with you. That first half is on us. That first half is pathetic."

By halftime, San Diego had fallen into a 30-6 hole. Rivers and the offense tried to manufacture a comeback in the fourth quarter with 23 unanswered points, but it was too late. You could point the finger in any number of directions, but the reality is that the Chargers played badly all around and only have themselves to blame for it.