Busters
HC Jon Gruden
This team had been playing with house money through the first three games of the season. Despite every game starting out with the offense doing next to nothing, the defense has kept them in it until they could find their way late.
The comebacks are great and all, but it tends to make you wonder why they couldn’t have been doing all that early on. And when they might figure out that it’s possible to start the same way they finish. This game, instead of looking like they had learned from the previous slow starts, they got worse.
For the tenth straight time, dating back to week 11 of last season, the Raiders failed to score on the opening drive. And for the past two weeks, their opening possession was a three-and-out.
Gruden started the game thinking he could push around the Chargers on the ground. They are vulnerable against the run, but the Raiders offense isn’t exactly pushing anyone around in the trenches. The first two runs yielded two yards.
The offense had six drives in the first half and got one first down out of it. Then suddenly the offense seemed unstoppable to begin the third quarter, driving for two touchdowns. Where the heck was that offense in the first half? I mean, if they can just turn it on like that, maybe turn it on, I don’t know, EARLIER?
The Raiders’ next drive stalled and the Charger drove for a TD of their own. And by the time that drive was over, it was so late, that proved to be the nail in the proverbial coffin.
In his Tuesday press conference, Gruden pointed to the offensive line as the primary problem. Who was it that traded away the entire right side of the line and put together this ragtag bunch?
C Andre James, RG Jermaine Eluemunor, RT Alex Leatherwood
Speaking of that entire right side of the Raiders offensive line. I can count on two fingers how many key blocks this group made in the run game against this pretty weak Chargers run defense. And many more times that they blew it.
Neither James nor Eluemunor got any push on the first two runs that yielded a combined two yards. The next drive ended with Leatherwood giving up a strip-sack on Derek Carr. On the next play for the offense, Leatherwood got jumpy and was flagged for a false start.
The Raiders final possession of the first half ended with a three-and-out because James and Eluemunor gave up another run stuff for no gain on third and one. The Chargers got the ball with 2:44 left in the second quarter and drove for a third touchdown to take a 21-0 lead into the half.
Leatherwood blew his assignment to give up a run stuff at the line to start the third quarter which the Raiders were able to survive. The next drive, following a big 51-yard completion to Henry Ruggs III, James and Eluemunor gave up another run stuff. The Raiders didn’t survive that one and then missed the long field attempt.
QB Derek Carr
The first quarter finished with the Raiders holding a pretty crazy stat — net zero yards of offense. The breakdown was net three yards rushing and net negative three yards passing. And that was on three possessions. Carr was sacked a couple of times, but he also had a couple of chances that he missed. On throw behind Hunter Renfrow and one in which he simply missed an open Darren Waller, opting for a check down to Josh Jacobs that went for three yards. His longest completion went for 12 yards…on third and 22.
The second quarter was better, but only by the ‘something is better than negative something’ standard. It included a seven-yard pass on third and ten and the only first down of the first half on a 21-yard completion to Darren Waller, giving the Raiders net 51 yards of offense.
Carr had some nice plays to start the third quarter, including a couple of times escaping the pocket and finding a receiver. One on the touchdown to Renfrow. He also held onto the ball too long on one play and was sacked.
The biggest play on the second TD drive was a questionable pass interference penalty on a deep attempt for Henry Ruggs that clearly was going to come up short. But to Carr’s credit, he took advantage with two nice throws to Waller for 18 yards and the touchdown pass from three yards out.
He later had his longest connection of the game on a deep ball to Ruggs that went for 51 yards. But on third down Carr ran into a sack that ended the drive and turned a 47-yard field goal into a 52-yarder and Daniel Carlson missed it wide left.
The Chargers took over and drove for a touchdown and a two-score lead. The response was Carr throwing a pass well behind Waller and right to safety Derwin James for an easy interception.
After averaging over 400 yards per game the first three weeks, Carr didn’t reach 200 yards (196) in this one. The biggest of which came on a drive that didn’t result in a score. And the Raiders converted on just three of 14 third-down attempts.
RB Josh Jacobs
Jacobs was clearly not at his best. It was his first game back after missing two weeks with an ankle injury. And it showed. He gained just 40 yards on 13 carries (3.1 yards per carry) and only 17 yards on five catches. Of the 18 times he touched the ball, he picked up the first down just once.
WR Bryan Edwards
Edward led the Raiders wide receivers in snaps (51). On those snaps, he had one catch on four targets for four yards. That four-yard catch was on third and five on the final drive with the game out of reach. So, basically, he was a complete non-factor. Not what you need from a starter.
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