Raiders’ report card: Team finishes miserable year with lousy grades

How the Raiders performed in a 34-20 loss against the Chargers:

Offense: D

It wasn’t a good day for this unit, outside of a few drives and a great individual performance from wide receiver Jakobi Meyers. The 28-year-old secured the first 1,000-yard season of his career by catching nine passes for 123 yards and a touchdown. The Raiders did finish the year with a 12-play scoring drive, capped off with a 12-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Aidan O’Connell to rookie tight end Brock Bowers. O’Connell completed 24 of 34 passes for 214 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. The pick came late in the first half at the Raiders’ 30-yard line. It set up a Chargers touchdown that put Los Angeles ahead 17-10 at the break. Bowers had four catches for 50 yards and a touchdown to end a historic first NFL season. The Raiders finished with 264 total yards thanks to their inability to run the ball. They had 39 yards on the ground on 12 carries.

Defense: F

Chargers wide receiver Quentin Johnston had almost as many yards as the Raiders at one point late in the fourth quarter. He finished with 13 catches for 186 yards. The Chargers finished with 473 total yards. Quarterback Justin Herbert was great, completing 28 of 36 passes for 346 yards and two TDs. Los Angeles finished with 137 rushing yards as well. Linebacker Robert Spillane led the Raiders with 16 tackles, while rookie cornerback Decamerion Richardson added 10. Defensive tackle Adam Butler had the team’s lone sack.

Special teams: A

This side was again on point for most of the season. The Raiders still own one of the NFL’s best kickers in Daniel Carlson and best punters in AJ Cole. Carlson was perfect Sunday, making his two field-goal attempts from 40 and 47 yards. Cole averaged 60 yards on three punts with a long of 62. Running back Chris Collier added a 39-yard kick return.

Coaching: D

Coach Antonio Pierce’s team was outclassed by the Chargers. Pierce’s future is cloudy after the game and should become clear in the next day or so. The Raiders could also lose defensive coordinator Patrick Graham, whose contract is up. This wasn’t a good year for the team’s staff. The Raiders lost 10 straight games at one point. Change is coming.

Ed Graney Review-Journal