Instant post game reaction via RaiderRamble.com as the Oakland Raiders hosted the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 6.
A high snap.
Forget about the anemic offense that had splash plays. Forget about the defense which was competent up until it mattered most.
Veteran long snapper Jon Condo’s misfire on the snap after an electric 47-yard touchdown run on an end around by Cordarrelle Patterson will be the lasting memory as the Raiders fell to 2-4 overall. Punter and holder Marquette King had to leap to snag the ball and when he put it down for kicker Giorgio Tavecchio, the boot went wide, 16-14 lead for the Raiders.
Precarious — very precarious.
The faceplant went down fully when the once highly-touted marauders from Oakland couldn’t rise to the occasion defensively to stamp out the Chargers’ hopes. Instead, Los Angeles rode the arm of wily veteran quarterback Philip Rivers and the legs of Melvin Gordon on a methodical 11-play, 78-yard drive. It ate 4:09 off the clock and Nick Novak’s 32-yard field goal split the uprights as time expired.
That will-imposed and clock-killing drive was eerily reminiscent to what the Baltimore Ravens did to Oakland’s defense last weekend. Once is a misnomer, but twice, in back-to-back weeks?
- Did you all catch that view on the sidelines of head coach Jack Del Rio yelling at his defensive coaches in the midst of the Chargers’ game-winning drive? It ended with him walking away shaking his head. That sums up Raider Nation’s sentiments to a T. Shaking their collective heads wondering what exactly happened to their once-promising team.
- Raiders quarterback Derek Carr was no worse for wear after breaking a bone in his back. Carr was able to unleash his full arsenal of throws. He fired a dart to wide receiver Michael Crabtree who housed the pass from 23 yards out. Crabtree looked like the “Jumpman logo” when he jumped and extended the ball past the goal line as he hit the pylon. But in totality, it doesn’t look like the same offense the Raiders’ had in Week 1 and 2.
- Beginning to wonder if zone coverage best suits Raiders defenders. There seems to be a lot of miscommunication, especially with running backs coming out of the backfield. Gordon was left uncovered too many times. I’m starting to see why Al Davis preferred man-to-man scheme. And this is where it truly gets disheartening. Man or zone, other teams exploit holes in the Raiders’ defense.
- Marshawn Lynch gets a bevy of love from Raider Nation. But can offensive coordinator Todd Downing dial back the passes to Beast Mode to none? Watching passes bounce of his hands, I wasn’t shocked when a Carr throw clanged off and into a Charger linebacker’s mitts. Â
- TJ Carrie was sticky in coverage. He was all over the field and was stuck to his receiver when he was in primary coverage.
- Kansas City took a tough loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers at home. They’re most likely seething at 5-1. What kind of fight will the 2-4 Raiders have this Thursday night?