Raiders week 5 report card vs Chargers: Offense arrives late, comes to rescue

The Raiders have been involved in several close games to start the 2016 season. So of course a game they were supposed to easily win came down to the wire. Despite being down 10-9 at the half, Derek Carr and the offense rallied in the second half to win 34-31 and continue their hot start to the year. How did the unit grade during their victory?

Passing Offense

Even in the first half when the Raiders settled for just nine points, the offense was continually driving on the Chargers. Twice were they stopped within ten yards of a touchdown, and they actually should have had four field goals had it not been for a Sebastian Janikowski 50-yard field goal miss.

With exception to an interception early in the game that was only partially his fault, Derek Carr had a solid game and lit came through with some huge throws in the second half when the team desperately needed them. His best play of the game came on a 4th and 2 when he dropped a perfect pass for a 21-yard Michael Crabtree touchdown. Carr also stood in the pocket and took a hit yet still was able to deliver a 64-yard touchdown pass to Amari Cooper. Carr ended the day with 317 yards through the air, 2 touchdowns, and an interception.

Speaking of Amari Cooper, he had a coming out party with 138 receiving yards and a touchdown. But what should scare opposing teams is Cooper really should have had 4 touchdowns! He was twice inches away from a touchdown but part of his foot was out of bounds. If Cooper can learn how to drag his foot on sideline throws, these will be touchdowns in the future. Cooper also lost a touchdown due to a bad penalty by the refs in the final minutes of the game. Michael Crabtree once again came through in the clutch with an incredible 21-yard touchdown on 4th and 2.

This was the first game in which didn't provide Carr with excellent pass protection. The Chargers consistently generated pressure and sacked Carr three times. Joey Bosa in his first NFL game had a field day with the Raiders offensive tackles. But the real drive killers came from false start penalties which there are no excuse for when playing at home. While the pass protection certainly wasn't horrible, expectations are much higher for this star-studded offensive line.

Grade: B

Running Game

After leading the NFL in rushing through the first three weeks, this is now the second straight game the Raiders rushing attack has underperformed. The Silver and Black were missing Latavius Murray and it was evident throughout the game. Both DeAndre Washington and Jalen Richard made significant contributions in the passing game, but on the ground they were held to 23 and 31 yards. The unit as a whole finished the game with 89 rushing yards (3.6 yards per carry) and one touchdown.

A big reason why this rushing attack hasn't continued their early success is due to the offensive line's lack of opening up holes. Both Menelik Watson and Lee Smith were out, but this unit still has plenty of talent and should be dominating most defensive lines.

Grade: C

Offensive Coaching

Once again, Captain Jack Del Rio gambled on fourth down and it paid off. Down 19-24 late in the third quarter, Del Rio went of a 4th and 2 and it worked as Derek Carr delivered a 21-yard touchdown pass to Michael Crabtree. The Raiders then completed the two-point conversion and suddenly were winning 27-24.

Another great call was on a first and goal in the fourth quarter. Needing only one yard for the touchdown, Bill Musgrave drew up a fullback dive for a Jamize Olawale touchdown. While giving the ball to your biggest running back seems like common sense, the Raiders early this season when in similar situations had given the ball to Jalen Richard and DeAndre Washington and they paid the price for it.

Grade: A

Overall Offensive Grade: B

See the report card for the Defense/ST