It was the final primetime NFL game ever at Oakland Coliseum. Befitting that it was between these two longtime AFC West rivals. Though it was a hard-fought game, it was far more sloppy than anyone would have liked.
Both teams hovered around 30 percent efficiency on third down. The Chargers were 3 for 10, and the Raiders were 4 for 12. It was also a flag fest out there with the Raiders being called for 12 penalties for 97 yards and the Chargers getting 8 flags for 70 yards.
The Chargers lost Russell Okung early in the game, so they were fielding two backup tackles. The Raiders took advantage to sack Philip Rivers five times and harass him enough to have him throwing up gift passes all day. He threw three interceptions, including the one that ended the game. But he could have easily thrown a couple more. And he fumbled the ball as well.
Then despite Melvin Gordon putting up 108 yards on the day, the Chargers decided Rivers should pass on every play on their final drive. Seven passes despite having over a minute and three timeouts to work with. It was just weird, and the Raiders just continued to get after him as he went 0 for 7 on the possession with the game-sealing interception.
It wasn’t the shootout like last week against the Lions. This time the defense had its day. Which, in its own way, was a breath of fresh air.
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