Raiders report card: Grades for offense, defense in loss to Chargers

OAKLAND -- The Raiders made strides in several areas Sunday against the Los Angeles Chargers, but the result was the same. Oakland lost its fifth straight, a 20-6 decision where the Raiders yet again failed to score a touchdown.

The defense was better, especially in coverage. The run game proved steady. That's why the Raiders kept it close for so long. But mistakes eventually were made, and the Chargers surged ahead and won by two touchdowns.

Such is life for an awful team that seems bound to break down in each game.

Unlike recent games, you won’t see all Fs on the report card. The Raiders did some things well but not nearly well enough to beat the Chargers. 

Here are the grades from the Raiders’ latest loss:

Rushing offense

The Silver and Black showed real commitment to the run game early. Falling two scores behind in the second half forced the Raiders to chuck the ball, though, slowing down their opportunities to gain yards on the ground.

Doug Martin had another solid showing, with 61 yards on 15 carries, but the team’s rushing totals in the box score can be deceiving. Take away Johnny Townsend’s 42-yard fake punt, and the Raiders averaged just 3.43 yards per carry. Not terrible, but that isn’t great, either.

Grade: C

Passing offense

The Raiders are struggling to get things going through the air. Tight end Jared Cook is the team’s only dynamic receiving threat, and that’s clear cut now that wide receiver Martavis Bryant will miss time with a knee injury.

Derek Carr was 24-of-37 passing for 243 yards. Although he didn’t throw a pick for a fourth consecutive game, he wasn’t efficient moving the ball downfield. Pass protection was subpar yet again, with Carr sacked four times.

Grade: D

Rushing defense

The NFL’s worst run defense wasn’t great against the potent Chargers ground game, and allowed 113 yards on 26 carries. The Raiders limited big plays on the ground -- a new development, to be sure -- and tackling was solid on the interior.

The effort against the run wasn’t great, but it wasn’t awful. For this defense, that’s called improvement.

Grade: C

Pass defense

It’s fair to say the Raiders were solid in coverage most of the day. There was one gaffe on a short pass to Melvin Gordon, after which both Gareon Conley and Reggie Nelson whiffed on a 66-yard touchdown.

Philip Rivers was efficient enough, despite throwing an interception to Marcus Gilchrist. For once, defense wasn’t the reason why the Raiders lost a game.

Grade: C

Special teams

Townsend responded well to a rough start to his rookie season, flashing great speed on his fake punt. He also had his best punting day by far with a 54-yard average on three attempts.

Daniel Carlson hit both field-goal attempts, and kick coverage was decent. Dwayne Harris couldn’t get much going in the return game, however, and the Raiders continued to have lackluster field position.

Grade: B-minus

Overall

The Raiders lost to a superior team. There’s no surprise in that at this stage.

Coordinator Paul Guenther had his defense ready to play this game but couldn’t stop the big play from hurting the Raiders again. Coach Jon Gruden had some questionable play calls in this one, especially on fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line.

The Raiders played better, and still lost by 14 points. That’s a sign of just how bad this team is with seven games to go.

Grade: D-plus

[RATTO: If you're still watching this Raiders team, the blame falls on you]

[BAIR: Why Jon Gruden believes 'many of us will never forget' 2018 Raiders season]

[MORE RAIDERS: One Raiders player after Chargers loss: 'I gotta get the f--- outta here']