This past Sunday saw the Raiders suffer defeat at the hands of the San Diego Chargers. The Chargers completely dismantled the Raiders under Jon Gruden and gave them their most lopsided defeat so far this season.

The team lacked the fight they had brought to previous games this year which is odd considers the Chargers are division rivals. That being said both the offense and defense lacked intensity and urgency save for a few players.

Raiders can’t keep Carr clean

There are a few reasons the Raiders looked like they had no fight in them. First the offensive line experienced some serious shake-up with both Penn and Osemele out injured. Replacing them on the line was Jon Feliciano and Brandon Parker. Parker a rookie in his first start looked like a rookie in his first start and didn’t play as well as he did last week. Also worth noting is Kolton Miller’s sprained MCL that Gruden disclosed after the game.

Check out this vicious spin move from Ingram. Try blocking that with a torn MCL. Miller wasn’t mentally or physically prepared to block this rush from the stalwart defensive end. The protection struggled all day. As a result Carr played the way he usually does when under duress and looked indecisive trying to negotiate an unfamiliar pocket.

Don’t forget this defensive line is missing their best pass rusher. Yes Melvin Ingram had a great day and made plays against the Raider’s beleaguered blockers. Joey Bosa however is widely considered a super star talent. If Gruden can’t get the rookie experiment at tackle to yield quick results, hope on offense will fade away.

Converting on 3rd Down

3rd Down conversions have been a sore spot for this offense last 2 weeks. Sunday was the worst day so far. Offensive drive after drive went 3 and out and Carr looked out of rhythm.

On this play, Carr gets through his progressions on the right side of the field. As his protection breaks down Carr shows excellent footwork to climb the pocket and before finally escaping altogether.

But for all his fancy feet, Carr throws up a duck to his receiver. Roberts has no chance of making an adjustment on this ball having to work back through the defender. Throwing the ball low and inside is a cardinal sin for a deep pass and he’s lucky this one wasn’t picked off.

Back in 2016 Carr was almost automatic on the fade ball. Downing ran it into the ground in 2017. And now in 2018 its as if Carr lost his Mojo. The protection isn’t a problem this play and Carr gets the ball out in rhythm. But the pass is too far out of bounds for Cook to haul in for an official catch.

Carr’s deep ball placement has always been an area of concern. So far this year has been his worst year and the QB is leading the NFL in interceptions as a result.

Defending screens

Raiders defensive coach Paul Guenther admitted 55 Marquel Lee shouldn’t have blitzed this play. Lee likely should have “read out” of the blitz and covered the back releasing on a route. This adjustment that Lee is required to make in a split second is one area he can improve as he takes more snaps in the middle.

This leaves Leon Hall against 3 blockers, a sure way to punish a defense.

Reggie Nelson gets a lot of flack from the media. As Paul Guenther noted in previous press conferences, there are 11 guys out there to blame when a touchdown happens. But on this particular play, its all on Nelson. In this coverage, Nelson is lined up outside shoulder of the tight end. At the snap Nelson sees the San Diego TE Virgil Green show a high hat and pass protect. Nelson bails out to help elsewhere not realizing it was a TE screen all along. Nelson is out of position and unable to force Green back inside, giving him an easy stroll down the sideline for a score.

Raiders fans have little hope left after the team’s poor showing in LA. This week the Raiders take on the Seahawks in London. This matchup will be a big test for Gruden to prove that his staff is as advertised and his team can beat a team not named the Browns