Welcome in to the full recap of the Raiders' Week 5 divisional showdown with the Chargers in Los Angeles where the Raiders couldn't build off of their thrilling OT win over the Browns, losing to the Chargers 10-26.
There was a reason I was cautiously optimistic last week. The Browns are an improving team, but they're in the learning curve as well to finish teams off. They just got off a grueling OT win over the Ravens after the Ravens beat the Steelers on national TV last week. But, enough about the Browns. The Raiders were facing a proven team in the Chargers this time around. Like I said, this score was a lot closer than indicated because the Chargers dominated this game from 2nd quarter onwards.
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Charger penalties. The Raiders were lucky they didn't blown out because of this. The Chargers committed 9 penalties for 82 yards. Like I said, they left a lot points out there on the field with a lot of false start and holding penalties. This could've been a rout had they not commit a whole lot of penalties especially when the Chargers were in Raiders territory and threatening to score.
Martavis Bryant, 3 receptions, 91 yards. Well I guess you can say this was Martavis' break out game. It wouldn't look like much. The fumble in the 2nd quarter was a major blemish on Bryant's game. But, he was a reliable target today with Nelson, Cooper, and Cook held in check.
Daryl Worley, 8 tackles. Quite a good welcome back for Worley after serving a 4-game suspension. He made a couple of nice open field tackles behind the line of scrimmage this game.
Jalen Richard, 1 rush, 4 yards, 6 receptions, 53 yards. The running game was ineffective all game long, hence why Richard was a non-factor, but made up for it in the passing game. Richard converted on a couple of big third downs to keep offensive drives going for the Raiders.
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Running game. Spekaing of this, Marshawn Lynch was held in check for 31 yards. The rest of the running game, the Chargers held them to 10 yards. The absence of Kelechi Osemele today definitely played a factor in the running game being a non-factor. Jon Feliciano was ineffective whatsoever as a run blocker. The offense is not going to flow when this is not going and Jon Gruden emphasizes on running the ball.
O-line. Osemele out. Donald Penn out for the season. Not like it was going to make a difference if Penn was gonna play considering his struggles as a Right Tackle. Kolton Miller and Brandon Parker failed to hold the fort off the edge. I already talked about Feliciano. He also allowed a lot of penetration from the Chargers' interior rush defense. Carr had to run for his life for the first time in awhile. Maybe that's a good thing. Maybe it's not. But, the shorthanded O-line had a lot to do with the Raiders being ineffective.
Turnovers. Momenutm killers. I mentioned Martavis Bryant's fumble being a killer, which resulted in an Austin Ekeler TD. Carr's INT definitely hurt as the Raiders worked to be in scoring position. Again, I'm flabbergasted about that playcall in how you don't give the ball to Lynch in that situation. It's another example of being too cute with the playaction, especially in goal line situations.
MVP
I could've easily given this to Martavis Bryant with his 91 yard game. But, Richard lead the entire team in receptions with 6 receptions. He had some nice gains on third down, making defenders miss in space and giving the Raiders scoring opportunities that they failed to capitalize on in the long run.
Conclusion
Overall, there's nothing else to add on here that the Raiders were just beaten soundly here. It's laughable that the Raiders claim to have a stranglehold on the city of L.A., but the Rams and the Chargers have had their number since both teams moved there. Knowing how L.A. works with their sports teams, it'll only be a matter time before the last remnants of the L.A. Raider fan base hop on to a new team. The road to Las Vegas is not a good one so far. And no, Oakland fans were not fooled on having this season be a Super Bowl season before they leave. Next week, they travel to a home game yet again far away from home when they go to London to face the Seahawks. It's pretty upsetting that Mark Davis has given up a home game for the third straight year. Sure, the brand is global until you run into a team with a bigger following (look no further when they faced the Patriots last year in Mexico City). Luckily, the 12s have fallen off in a rebuilding season. I'll see you guys next week for that game.
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