Raiders report card: All Fs in abominable loss

Here’s how the Raiders performed in a 24-0 loss to the New Orleans Saints on Sunday at the Caesars Superdome:

Offense: F

Quarterback Derek Carr took a beating behind a porous offensive line en route to a passer rating of 50.3, the third worst in his nine-year career. Running back Josh Jacobs mustered 43 rushing yards on 10 carries behind that same line, which yielded four sacks and nine hits to their quarterbacks.

The Raiders averaged 3.3 yards per play, and Carr committed a cardinal quarterbacking sin — throwing late over the middle, resulting in his fifth interception of the season. Davante Adams caught one pass for 3 yards, snapping his streak of 81 consecutive games with multiple receptions.

The Raiders didn’t cross midfield until 3:15 to play and were shut out for the first time since Nov. 30, 2014.

Defense: F

Saints quarterback Andy Dalton was hardly pressured, let alone sacked, en route to 229 yards passing and two touchdowns, both to running back Alvin Kamara, who was the beneficiary of horrendous tackling on his first score and horrendous coverage on his second. He added a third score on the ground, while jack-of-all-trades Taysom Hill added 61 rushing yards on 10 carries against a unit ill-prepared to combat his skill set.

Whenever the Raiders needed to make a play, they couldn’t.

And whenever the Saints could make a play, they did.

Special teams: F

Even if the egregious fake punt in the first quarter would have resulted in a first down, a chop block by Branden Bolden would have negated it. The penalty still cost the Raiders 15 yards on the ensuing defensive possession. A hold on a punt two possessions later reflects the procedural issues this unit has battled all season.

Coaching: F

Facing a third-and-1 in the first quarter and armed with the NFL’s third-leading rusher, coach Josh McDaniels elected not to hand the ball to Jacobs — instead dialing up a hopeless jet sweep to Adams, who was promptly tackled for a loss. The unnecessary and ill-fated fake punt followed, preceding three-plus quarters in which the Raiders had nary an answer for anything the Saints would do on either side of the ball.

A true disaster in every single phase.

Sam Gordon Las Vegas Review-Journal