Raiders report card: Special teams, coaching get poor grades
How the Raiders performed in a 23-20 loss to the Colts on Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis:
Offense: B
This was an improvement game for rookie quarterback Aidan O’Connell, who completed 30 of 47 passes for a career-high 299 yards and two touchdowns to wide receiver Davante Adams. But questionable play-calling on third-and-short cost the Raiders. Adams had a few key drops, but hauled in 13 receptions for 126 yards and the two TDs. He was targeted 21 times and surpassed 1,000 receiving yards for the fourth straight season, tied for the second longest streak in the NFL. Three false starts and a delay of game in the first half consistently hurt drives. Zamir White, again subbing for an injured Josh Jacobs, rushed 20 times for 71 yards and caught five balls for 35.
Defense: C
There was some good over four quarters, but you can’t allow two 50-yard completions, both cashed in for scores. You also can’t have two penalties on a key third down late in the game and your team trailing by seven. Jack Jones had the costly pass interference call with the Colts facing third-and-8 from their 38 that extended a drive. It ultimately led to a field goal and what would prove an insurmountable two-score lead. The Colts had 349 total yards, including 134 on the ground. They were 6 of 13 on third down. Nate Hobbs led the Raiders with eight tackles, and Adam Butler had the team’s lone sack of quarterback Gardner Minshew.
Special teams: D
You would think this grade might be much better, but you can’t have an offside call, by Jones, on a missed field goal late in a seven-point game. That all but ended things, as Colts kicker Matt Gay then made good from 45 yards for a 10-point advantage. Daniel Carlson made both of his field-goal attempts for the Raiders and has 167 makes since 2018, third most in the NFL during that span. AJ Cole dropped four of five punts inside the 10-yard line.
Coaching: D
The NFL’s least penalized team was all sorts of undisciplined with seven penalties for 54 yards, some game-killers. There were questionable timeouts in the first half by interim coach Antonio Pierce and those forgettable offensive calls in short-yardage situations. On defense, having no safety set and isolating Amik Robertson on one of the Colts’ fastest players in Alec Pierce — which resulted in a 58-yard score — was brutal.
Ed Graney, a Sigma Delta Chi Award winner for sports column writing, can be reached at egraney@reviewjournal.com. He can be heard on “The Press Box,” ESPN Radio 100.9 FM and 1100 AM, from 7 to 10 a.m. Monday through Friday. Follow @edgraney on X.