Raiders rewind: What stood out on tape in Chargers loss?
The Raiders didn’t get off to the start they were hoping for Sunday.
They opened the season with a disappointing 22-10 loss to the Chargers at SoFi Stadium, a performance that didn’t look any better on tape.
Here’s a closer look at the game and what lessons can be drawn from it heading into the Raiders’ next game against the Ravens:
Putting it into perspective
It’s only one game.
It’s an oft-repeated line after Week 1 but it’s a cliche because it’s true. No one has made or missed the NFL playoffs yet.
But the Raiders don’t have much margin for error in a crowded AFC. This was a game they needed to win.
The good news is they were in a position to do so. They were right there in the fourth quarter despite an uneven effort on offense and some baffling coaching decisions.
The Raiders just missed on some potential game-changing plays, something that can be chalked up to early season jitters. But there are some issues that cropped up that could be difficult to overcome this year.
Star of the game
Veteran running back Alexander Mattison was a bright spot on offense, while rookie tight end Brock Bowers arrived as advertised after being taken with the 13th overall pick in April.
But the Raiders’ defense was by far the better unit Sunday and had several standouts.
Linebacker Robert Spillane was all over the place and cornerback Nate Hobbs played well on the outside and in the slot. The team’s best players were defensive tackles John Jenkins and Christian Wilkins, however. They swallowed up blockers, disrupted plays and posed a real problem for the Chargers’ offense.
Play of the game
Running back J.K. Dobbins’ 61-yard run with less than five minutes remaining. It was a rough one for the Raiders defense and led to a late Chargers touchdown that put the game out of reach.
Defensive end Charles Snowden was pushed outside on the second-and-3 play and defensive tackle Adam Butler was sealed off inside. That gave Dobbins a cutback lane to the left. The run went from a solid gain to an explosive play when linebacker Divine Deablo couldn’t evade traffic to make the tackle.
The Raiders needed to get a stop down 16-10 to give their offense one more chance to take the lead. Instead, the huge gain all but ended their hopes.
Drive of the game
It’s the Raiders’ lone touchdown drive, by default.
The seven-play, 67-yard sequence was capped off with an outstanding individual effort from Mattison, who caught a pass in the right flat and hurdled a defender before racing 31 yards to the end zone.
The drive, the Raiders’ most consistent of the day, featured a healthy dose of wide receiver Davante Adams. He converted two third downs to keep his team in the field.
Quarterback Gardner Minshew froze a defender with his eyes on the first and allowed Adams to find an open area in the middle of the field for an 18-yard gain on a third-and-4.
Minshew and Adams connected again three plays later to convert a third-and-9 with an 11-yard gain.
It was the Raiders’ only possession where they were able to establish any kind of rhythm.
The defense had two strong drives that deserve mention as well. The Raiders gave the Chargers a short field twice in the first half thanks to a failed fourth-down conversation and a Minshew fumble. The defense allowed only a field goal both times.
What were they thinking?
Coach Antonio Pierce’s decision to punt on a fourth-and-1 from the Chargers’ 43-yard line with 7:15 remaining is still puzzling.
It was a terrible call. The Raiders have an analytics department and a game management coach. There’s no way they told Pierce to punt there.
Pierce, in his first game as the Raiders full-time coach, was operating with his gut. His gut was wrong.
The Raiders also deserve criticism for their play call on an earlier fourth down that went wrong, which may have factored into Pierce’s decision in the fourth quarter.
The team tried to convert a fourth-and-1 from its own 41-yard line on its second possession of the game. The Raiders lined up in the shotgun formation and handed off to running back Zamir White, who was stuffed.
The play was doomed from the start. The Chargers didn’t buy the threat of a pass even with the Raiders in shotgun formation. They may have known new offensive coordinator Luke Getsy ran out of that look often the last two seasons with the Bears.
It’s a problem that the Chargers seemed to know what was coming. It led to a huge stop and may have spooked Pierce.
Observations
— The Raiders were also stopped on a third-and-1 run their first possession. There appeared to be a miscommunication on the play that doomed its chances of success. Minshew either pivoted the wrong way when looking to hand the ball off, or the play was supposed to be a pitch and White got his spacing wrong. Either way, the handoff looked awkward and the run went nowhere.
— Hobbs played in the slot when the Raiders were in their nickel defense with three cornerbacks, but played on the outside when the team was in its base.
— Left tackle Kolton Miller, who missed the first month of training camp while recovering from shoulder surgery, wasn’t as sharp as he usually is. But his hustle on Minshew’s fumble was impressive and may have saved a touchdown.
— Miller wasn’t the only offensive lineman that struggled. Left guard Cody Whitehair wasn’t great and center Andre James had a tough game. It’s no surprise that the Raiders had only 71 rushing yards on 22 carries.
— The Raiders attempted just four play-action passes on their 40 dropbacks, one of the lowest rates in the league. That may have been more about their poor running game than anything else. Getsy used play action on 27 percent of Chicago’s dropbacks the last two seasons.
— On kickoffs, both teams elected to kick the ball to their opponent once. The ball was returned past the 30-yard line both times. The game’s remaining seven kickoffs all resulted in touchbacks.
Looking ahead
The Raiders’ road doesn’t get any easier from here.
They next travel to play an angry Ravens team that lost its season opener 27-20 at Kansas City. Baltimore should pose a stiff challenge for a run defense that gave up 176 yards on the ground to the Chargers.
Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on X.