Welcome in to the full recap of the Raiders' Week 15 matchup vs. the San Diego Chargers in San Diego where 14 years of no playoffs come to an end as the Raiders beat the Chargers 19-16 to clinch a playoff berth for the first time since the Super Bowl season in 2002!
Playoffs? We talking about playoffs? You kidding me? Playoffs? Yes we are! And damn, does it feel great! I've been waiting for this moment since I was 9 years old. They came so close in 2011 and the Chargers just had to spoil our hopes and dreams. That's not happening this time around Chargers. Not this time. No question, the start was concerning as the defense allowed an opening touchdown for the first time in forever. The offense committed two turnovers in scoring position. But, we should know by now, coming from behind has been the narrative for the Raiders this season. As Khalil Mack would say: by any means. And the Raiders just found a way to win and punch their ticket to the postseason.
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The running game. Latavius Murray as usual, lead all running backs in rushing with 81 yards on 13 carries. Jalen Richard had 36 yards on 6 carries. DeAndre Washington, welcome back, had 23 yards on 5 carries. All of the running backs were running hard out there and were finding the right holes that were opened up by the O-line. Aside from the fumble in the first half, Murray rekindled a little bit of his 2014 form, finding the holes and making quick decisions. He made the running game explosive and that proved to be the difference maker. Richard and Washington had some solid runs in the first half. I've said it countless times that I love our running back by committee and today, they showed how effective they are when all three get touches.
Michael Crabtree, 6 receptions, 60 yards, 1 TD. Broken finger? No problem. Arguably, his best highlight today was that close call TD he had in the end zone for the Raiders to tie it up before the first half ended. Whenever Crabs has a bad game, he just goes to work and bounces back. It was evident last week in the Kansas City game where he was pretty much bottled up. Today, he bounced back with a solid game and pretty much dominated all the targets.
Bruce Irvin, 4 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 forced fumble. The Chargers knew they had to account for Khalil Mack and they did. Mack was held without a sack today. That was the queue that Bruce Irvin needed to step up and create some pressure on Philip Rivers. And Brucie came through, especially late in the 4th quarter. He got a big time sack to put the Chargers back almost into their own end zone to create 4th down. When the Chargers went for it, Bruce put the heat on Rivers again and it forced Rivers a throw to Reggie Nelson for the INT.
Sebastian Janikowski, 4 field goals, 1 PAT. How bout that? Sebass is the last remaining player on the active roster the last time the Raiders made the playoffs. It's gotta be special for him and he turned back the clock as the old reliable Sebass. The offense couldn't get anything going, Sebass came through with a couple of field goals for the Raiders to stay in the game. Offense stalled at the end of the game and Sebass delivered with a clutch field goal to put the Raiders up three. He almost missed again, but that kick just squeaked inside the uprights and the Raiders would eventually hold on to the lead.
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Red Zone offense. There's no question Carr being in shotgun formation 100% of the time is costing the Raiders some red zone opportunities as of late. They've been good all season long. In scoring positions, the Raiders committed 2 turnovers. Murray had a fumble which was bad. Carr had an INT, which was also bad. They tried to go for the knockout blow, but the Chargers goal line defense stood tall. We have to hope that pinky finger heals up soon so the offense can start turning up the jets again.
MVP
BRUUUUUUUUUCE!!!!!!! As I said, the Chargers had their attention on Mack and Irvin stepped up when it mattered the most. The guy can close out a game when called upon.
Conclusion
We going to the playoffs! We going to the playoffs! Kansas City lost today and the Raiders are back in first place in the AFC West. This season has been such an emotional roller coaster, but Raider Nation, we've stuck through and our team delivered by any means necessary. No matter how far the Raiders finish after this season, this is going to be a magical season to remember regardless. Reggie McKenzie, Jack Del Rio, and Mark Davis all deserve a round of applause as each had a role on bringing back the winning ways of the Raiders. The division is theirs to lose now. Win out and clinch that first round bye. Playoffs baby! PLAYOFFS!!!!!! I'll probably see you guys next week for the game against the Colts. There's a lot of stuff I have to do on Christmas Eve, so let's see how it goes. Stay tuned for an announcement.
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