The Las Vegas Raiders lost to the Los Angeles Chargers 22-10 after a hard-fought battle. Offensive turnovers and defensive mistakes brought down a very strong performance by the Raider defense overall. The offense failed to get off the fast start that Antonio Pierce hoped for this season against a beatable team. Pierce also showed why he can be a great head coach in the NFL, but he has to contemplate some late-game decisions that may have made a difference. Here are the main takeaways from the Raiders’ week one loss.
Las Vegas Raiders Week 1 Takeaways
Offensive Woes
The Offense struggled all game and could never get consistent drives going. It seemed that every time they could get some momentum with a big throw downfield, they would turn the ball over, give up a sack, or run the ball ineffectively. As noted in the preseason, the Raider run game had trouble with only 71 rush yards. A poor run game, four sacks, and three turnovers give the offense much to learn from heading into Week Two. Success in the red zone was emphasized in the preseason, but they had trouble even making it against the Chargers. The Raiders didn’t make it to the red zone until the fourth quarter, which is unacceptable considering what they know they need to do to win games this year.
Gardner Minshew’s 25/33, 257-yard game didn’t mean much with only a single touchdown and field goal to show for it. There were a lot more check-downs than we are used to seeing with the gunslinger that is Minshew. His high completions are more indicative of conservative play than anything. There were a few third downs that ended with short passes behind the sticks instead of Minshew giving his skill positions a chance downfield.
It wasn’t all bad thankfully for the Raiders. The offensive weapons showed a small amount of what they could do. Davante Adams, Brock Bowers, and Jakobi Meyers all had multiple big catches downfield that helped get or keep drives going. First-round rookie Bowers is as advertised and should only get more attention as the season goes on. Alexander Mattison also showed that he’s a very capable number two running back to Zamir White. Mattison had over 40 receiving yards to go with a highlight touchdown catch and run. Michael Mayer was also seen blocking quite a bit, but when his number was called he made a great catch one-on-one against three-time All-Pro Safety Derwin James for a first down.
The bottom line is that you can’t have a successful season scoring 10 points a game. Constantly throwing your defense onto the field in unfavorable positions from turnovers isn’t sustainable no matter how good the defense plays. Offensive Coordinator Luke Getsy hopefully knows where they need to improve, what mistakes to fix, and how to gameplan going forward because something isn’t clicking.
Defensive Ups and Downs
The Raiders’ defense unfortunately lost key starter Malcolm Koonce right before their game to a knee injury. The next man up to fill Koonce’s spot, Tyree Wilson, was also injured early on in the game and later ruled out (won’t be out long-term). This thrusts back-ups Charles Snowden and Janarius Robinson into prominent roles on the defensive line across from Maxx Crosby. The Raiders’ defense played great at first only giving up six points in the first half. Their defensive line was constantly in the Charger backfield affecting the pass and run game. However, come the second half J.K. Dobbins and the Chargers offense found their groove ending with 176 rush yards. Giving up 16 points in the second half and well over 100 rushing yards is a bad way to start the season on defense.
Mistakes that lead to big run plays will be addressed obviously. They didn’t play to the best of their ability and hopefully, their second-half failure against the run is an exception to the rule. They started great, but like last year they failed to finish the game strong. The Chargers were formidable opponents and a good reality check for the Raiders early on in the season.
Overall, the Raider defense showed why so many analysts think they are among the best in the league and where they have some deficiencies. What many believed to be the Raiders’ weakest link on defense limited Justin Herbert to only 140 passing yards. The defensive line played a huge role in that and showed why they’re one of the most feared in the NFL.
Antonio Pierce Is The Real Deal
There may have been uncertainty outside the Raiders organization about Pierce due to his inexperience as a head coach. However, despite the loss Pierce proved why he was chosen as the leader of this football team. They played hard and were competitive from start to finish. The defense gave off that hard-nosed attitude with the play to back it up the Raiders are known for. Pierce showed that he can get them to play hard every weekend, but has some things to work on. He made some questionable decisions concerning fourth-down decisions which are always looked at in hindsight with a magnified lens. He probably should have gone for it on fourth down in opposing territory, down 10-16 with seven minutes to go, and a strong defense. That’s why Pierce probably defaulted to trusting his defense late in the game instead of giving his offense a shot to flip the momentum. Pierce will learn from that experience and others like it as the season goes on. He can’t afford too many of those mistakes if he wants to win games consistently.
After Sunday’s loss, it is evident that there is a lot of work to be done. The concerns around the offense being able to put up points were clear as they struggled to get near the red zone. The offense couldn’t put a stable drive together all game, which ended up being the difference maker. The Chargers’ offense put a couple of solid drives together leaning on the run game which won them the game. The Raiders’ offensive mistakes put their defense in tough positions throughout the game. Then the defense finally cracked when they started giving up big run plays in the second half.
Nevertheless, even in his debut loss, Pierce showed why the team put their trust in him. Pierce kept the team playing hard throughout the second half until mistakes shot them in the foot. The Chargers dared the Raiders offense to run the ball and Pierce didn’t trust them in short-yardage situations with the game on the line. It looks like he needs to be a bit less conservative and do a bit more of what got him the Head Coach job.
The good news for the Raiders is that one loss in a 17-game season can be forgotten fast. Pierce will be looking to get his Raiders back on track next week against a tough Ravens team that is looking to do the same. He should have no problem in the face of adversity against a team many think is a lock to make the playoffs.
Main Image: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
