Oakland Raiders vs. San Diego Chargers Full Report Card Grades for Oakland
For the first time since their Super Bowl season, the Oakland Raiders start the campaign 4-1 after a 34-31 victory over the San Diego Chargers.
With all the odds stacked against the Chargers, many expected an easy Raiders victory, but it didn't materialize that way. Oakland could’ve jumped out to a larger lead but settled for field goals throughout the first half. The Chargers went into halftime with a 10-9 lead over a team struggling in the red zone. Prior to Sunday’s game, Oakland scored touchdowns on 10-of-11 red-zone attempts.
Inverse to previous games, the Raiders finished strongly after a sloppy start. After a few drops, wideout Michael Crabtree started to contribute, while quarterback Derek Carr finally released the jitters and threw with better accuracy. However, the secondary gave up chunk plays throughout the contest.
As the game progressed through the second half, the Chargers began their typical fourth-quarter slide, and the Raiders capitalized on the miscues. The offense scored 17 unanswered points between the third and fourth quarters. Chargers punter Drew Kaser then botched the snap on a potential game-tying field goal, which allowed the Raiders to drain the clock.
Oakland squandered countless opportunities in the first half and committed uncharacteristic mistakes. Nonetheless, the offense kept firing, and the team made one more play than the opponent for the victory.
Quarterback
1 of 9
Lately, Carr has shown early jitters in his play at the Oakland Coliseum. He comes out more composed on the road than at home.
It became evident on Sunday when his ball-placement accuracy lacked on short and deep passes. He’s fortunate to finish the game with one interception. The Chargers actually caught another, but a penalty negated the play.
Nonetheless, Carr still finished with 317 passing yards and two touchdown passes. He also tossed a pinpoint pass to Crabtree for a touchdown and Amari Cooper on the follow-up two-point conversion late in the third quarter.
Grade: B
Running Back
2 of 9
On Sunday, the Raiders missed Latavius Murray inside the 10-yard-line.
Oakland kicked field goals from the 8- and 2-yard lines in the first half. Typically, that’s an area where Murray runs between the tackles for a touchdown. Offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave didn’t hand it to fullback Jamize Olawale near the goal line until the fourth quarter on the final touchdown.
Jalen Richard finished as a more impressive overall talent in the backfield. He accumulated 97 all-purpose yards compared to DeAndre Washington’s 52 yards.
Richard displayed his exceptional receiving ability, but both rookies struggled to move the ball on the ground against a top-10 run defense. Both ball-carriers averaged fewer than four yards per carry. They combined for 17 carries and 54 yards.
Grade: C+
Wide Receiver and Tight End
3 of 9
Amari Cooper finally reached the end zone on a 64-yard touchdown reception, which pumped energy into the Raiders offense.
The AC-DC connection looked in sync, while Crabtree struggled to find his hands in the first half. Fortunately, the veteran redeemed himself on a gutsy 4th-and-2 call for a pass toward the end zone.
The Raiders completely omitted the tight-end position throughout the game, which drops this combined grade to a B-minus. Clive Walford sat out with a knee injury. Obviously, Mychal Rivera didn’t fit into the Raiders’ game plan this week.
Grade: B-
Offensive Line
4 of 9
The "Carr Insurance" uncharacteristically left the quarterback open to some hidden charges. For the first time this year, the offensive line allowed multiple sacks.
In his NFL debut, Chargers rookie defensive lineman Joey Bosa dominated rookie offensive linemen Vadal Alexander and Denver Kirkland on the right side, per Pro Football Focus’ Nathan Jahnke. The No. 3 overall pick logged two sacks alone.
The offensive line also committed four of the six total penalties. Overall, the number of infractions decreased, but the guys in the trenches must clean up their techniques to avoid stalling drives.
Grade: B-
Defensive Line
5 of 9
The forgotten man along the defensive line, Stacy McGee rose to the occasion to sack the quarterback twice and force two fumbles.
The 26-year-old brought much-needed pressure up the middle, which is a rarity for Oakland. His snap count has increased since Week 1 due to his relentless pocket pressure on the interior.
At a time when the Raiders' interior linemen haven't shown much, McGee continues to flourish with more snaps. He’s the team’s current sack leader with 2.5 or three pending on how you count half-sacks. Dan Williams also shared a sack with McGee during a pile up on Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers.
While some argued for a holding call on Khalil Mack, he didn't move the needle as a pass-rusher on Sunday.
Grade: B
Linebacker
6 of 9
The coaching staff decided to start newcomer Perry Riley over Malcolm Smith at weak-side linebacker.
The Raiders signed their newest linebacker on Tuesday; he made a tackle and forced a fumble on the first drive on Sunday. It couldn’t have been scripted any better for the veteran acquisition finding his place within the defense.
The 28-year-old finished with a team-leading seven tackles and added some impact plays to go along with a productive first day in silver and black. Cory James and Bruce Irvin made a couple of stops combined, but neither flashed like Riley on the field.
Smith's status remains unclear going forward, and he dealt with a groin injury through the week. With Riley’s play, we could see changes at the linebacker position.
Grade: B
Defensive Backs
7 of 9
The Raiders secondary went back to giving up chunk yardage to Rivers and the Chargers’ speedy receivers. Wideouts Travis Benjamin and Tyrell Williams finished with matching 117-yard performances on Oakland’s big physical cornerbacks. It’s a pattern worth monitoring going forward.
Rivers specifically targeted David Amerson on several snaps, and the plan worked to the Chargers’ benefit. Safety Reggie Nelson gave too much cushion over the top, and the quick-twitch wide receivers exploited the deep zone after the catch.
Cornerback Sean Smith’s well-timed leap for an interception and safety Karl Joseph’s pick boost the grade to a C-minus. Overall, the rookie put together another impressive performance. He also recovered one of McGee’s forced fumbles. Joseph’s takeaways led to 10 points scored.
Grade: C-
Special Teams
8 of 9
Kicker Sebastian Janikowski carried the Raiders offense through the first half with three field goals. He converted on 4-of-5 attempts. The record-holder for most field goals from 50-plus yards missed one 50-yard attempt, which adds the slight minus to the grade.
Though it’s overlooked, punter Marquette King pinned the Chargers deep in their own territory at the 12-yard line, which made it almost impossible for a last-second Hail Mary pass for a victory.
If you don’t feel punters make a difference in today’s NFL, ask Chargers fans how they feel about their punter shanking one for 16 yards, which gave the Raiders a short field; Oakland eventually scored on that possession. Kaser then bobbled the hold for a game-tying field goal.
Grade: A-
Coaching Staff
9 of 9
The Raiders coaching staff didn’t adjust to the Chargers’ speedy receivers. Benjamin and Williams ran up and down the field; defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr. didn’t have an answer.
When will the defense rectify the tight-end issue once and for all? Chargers tight ends Hunter Henry and Antonio Gates combined for seven catches, 104 yards and two touchdowns.
In the fourth quarter, Musgrave finally realized Olawale as the answer to punching the ball into the end zone. The Raiders threw the ball when setting up the offense close to the goal line during the first half. The offense missed Murray, but Olawale runs with enough steam to pound through the trenches. The Raiders missed early opportunities to use him in that capacity.
Head coach Jack Del Rio saves the grade with another gamble on 4th-and-2 in the third quarter. Instead of kicking a field goal, the Raiders went for the lead as opposed to cutting slowly into the Chargers’ existing 27-19 advantage.
Del Rio clearly believes in his offense and more times than not, it’s paid off.
Grade: C+
Box score stats provided by NFL.com.
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