It was not for the faint of heart. The Las Vegas Raiders lost in an ugly game by a score of 22-10 to the Los Angeles Chargers. It was a boring, dreadful affair. There was little offense to speak of. The defense played admirably but eventually was worn down. First-year Head Coach Antonio Pierce will have to right the ship quickly because starting 0-2 is not optimal. SoFi Stadium has become a house of horrors. The Raiders have gone 0-5 in the regular season against the Rams and Chargers at SoFi since 2021.
Offense Was Offensive For Both Teams
One thing in particular that both things struggled with was executing on offense. Las Vegas Raiders Quarterback Gardner Minshew was statistically efficient. However, the team went 0-of-3 in third and fourth and one situations.
The Los Angeles Chargers offense was kept to three field goals for most of the game. Eventually, they managed to weather the tough Raiders’ defense and put the game just enough out of reach. They only reached the endzone in the fourth quarter, but it was enough to put away the Raiders.
A Mindboggling Punt Decision
For some reason, Pierce decided to punt the ball in a weird situation. The Las Vegas Raiders were down by six at the Chargers 43-yard line late in the fourth quarter. It was the first fourth and one punt in plus territory when down by one score in the fourth quarter since Rex Ryan chose to do the same in 2016 with the Buffalo Bills.
The Bills lost that game 13-7 and went on to finish 7-9 that season. The Las Vegas Raiders lost 22-10 after making the same decision. What makes the decision look even worse is that the Raiders opened the drive on their own 47-yard line.
Turnovers Gave Chargers Their Boltage
The Las Vegas Raiders offense was more dangerous to their defense than the Los Angeles Chargers offense was. Christian Wilkins and Maxx Crosby had great games defensively and kept the game close. The problem was the Raiders offense turned it over four times.
The Raiders offense lost two fumbles, had a turnover on downs, and an interception. Meanwhile, the Raiders defense kept the Chargers out of the endzone for most of the game but didn’t force any turnovers. Instead, the Chargers sat back and let the Las Vegas offense beat the Raiders while a mostly pro-Raiders crowd watched in horror.
Khalil Mack Wrecks Raiders Again
Once again, future Hall of Famer Khalil Mack showed why he is a future Hall of Famer. He had six sacks last season in this same building against his former team. This time, he had 1.5 sacks, a pass tipped for the game-sealing interception, and a crucial fumble recovery.
Mack loves playing against his former team. Much like the great Marcus Allen did for the Kansas City Chiefs, he seems to play some of his best football against his former team. Getting rid of Allen backfired heavily for the Raiders in the 1990s and getting rid of Mack in 2018 has proven to be just as painful for the modern-day Raiders.
Quarterback Issues Continue For Las Vegas
Minshew was rough today. He was sacked four times, threw a badly snapped ball backward for a fumble that gave the Los Angeles Chargers a lead they would never surrender, and threw a game-sealing interception to a defensive tackle. It was predicted that it would be an ugly game, but few thought the game was going to end up being that ugly.
Minshew was supposed to be the safer option due to his “aura” and experience. Instead, his inefficiency led to Wide Receiver Davante Adams being a relative non-factor. If the Raiders are going to turn this ship around and get it back on track, they need much better play from the man under center.
The Offensive Line was Constantly Pushed Around
Another massive issue with the Las Vegas Raiders was the play of the offensive line. Despite not missing any starters, they got tossed around all day by Mack and Joey Bosa. In addition to giving up four sacks(third most in the NFL for week one), the running game never got going.
Kolton Miller missed all of OTA’s, training ramp, and the preseason. He unfortunately looked extremely rusty, even being pushed completely back into Minshew on Mack’s first sack of the day. Next week against the Baltimore Ravens, the offensive line is not going to be facing an easier assignment.
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