What Chargers players said after loss to Raiders

Players of the Los Angeles Chargers voice how they felt following the loss to the Oakland Raiders.

The Oakland Raiders defeated the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 16 of the regular season on Sunday afternoon.

Even though the Chargers didn’t have anything to play for since they had been mathematically eliminated from playoff contention, it was evident in their effort on the field.

“In that first half, we just didn’t come out with no passion. It shows and they hopped on us and we couldn’t get the lead back. I feel like there was some passion gone,” running back Melvin Gordon said.

Part of the reason why they couldn’t find success was their lackluster performance in the running game, as they only managed 19 yards on 16 carries.

“It was a tough day running the ball. For whatever reason, we were getting stuffed or even losing yards. It’s hard to get your offense going when they make you one-dimensional,” running back Austin Ekeler said.

Not only was it the ground game that struggled. The defense allowed too many big plays, both through the air and on the ground, which put the unit into a deeper hole.

One of the lone bright spots, safety Derwin James, acknowledged that the team was beat, saying the Raiders straight up whooped their a**.

The loss dropped Los Angeles to 5-10 and 0-5 in divisional play. Defensive end Joey Bosa knows they have a talented team and with a couple key additions to the roster, they should be back to their winning ways in 2020.

After three years playing at Dignity Health Sports Park, the Chargers are set to embark on a new era at SoFi Stadium, which will be shared with the Rams starting in 2020.

One thing the team will hope to eventually gain is a large fan base that’s in favor of them, rather than the opposing team.

“That didn’t have anything to do with the outcome of the game. But being someone that remembers what it used to be like at home games (in San Diego), it’s pretty bad. You appreciate the Chargers fans that are out there, but it is disheartening to say the least,” quarterback Philip Rivers said.