3 takeaways from Raiders’ loss: Questionable 4th-down call hurts
INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Here are three takeaways from the Raiders’ 22-10 loss to the Chargers on Sunday at SoFi Stadium:
1. Baffling decision proves costly
The Raiders’ performance wasn’t pretty. But they were still in a position to possibly steal a divisional game on the road in the fourth quarter.
Then coach Antonio Pierce made a confounding decision with the Raiders trailing 16-10.
Pierce send the punt team out on a fourth-and-1 from the Chargers’ 43-yard line with 7:15 to play, rather than leaving the offense on the field.
It proved costly. The Chargers took the ball and put the game away. Quarterback Justin Herbert threw a touchdown to rookie wide receiver Ladd McConkey to give his team a 22-10 lead with 3:40 remaining.
Pierce’s call marked the first time a team punted on a fourth-and-1 inside its opponent’s territory when down a score in the fourth quarter in eight seasons, according to Sportradar.
Pierce made some questionable decisions as the Raiders interim coach last season, but he brought in several experienced coaches this offseason who were supposed to help him manage games better.
He appears to still have work to do.
2. Running lanes hard to find
The Raiders couldn’t generate any type of momentum on the ground Sunday.
It wasn’t for a lack of effort.
The Raiders ran the ball 22 times for a total of 71 yards. They ran 11 times in the first half and gained just 24 yards.
The team’s struggles in short yardage were the most glaring. Running back Zamir White was stuffed three times during the Raiders’ first two drives when he needed to gain a yard for a first down. Those plays may have factored into Pierce’s decision to punt in the fourth quarter.
White found some daylight in back-to-back runs in the third quarter, but neither helped the Raiders. The first was called back for holding and the second resulted in a White fumble after an 8-yard gain.
White finished with 13 carries for 44 yards. Alexander Mattison gained 19 yards on five attempts and scored the Raiders’ lone touchdown as a receiver.
3. Defense keeps things close
The Raiders defense was good throughout the whole game and was downright dominant in the first half.
Herbert and the Chargers offense had just two first downs before the break.
Los Angeles scored six first-half points on two field goals that were set up by the Raiders offense. The Chargers got the ball at their opponent’s 40-yard line after a fourth-down stop in the first quarter. They also started a drive at the Raiders’ 12-yard line after a fumble by quarterback Gardner Minshew.
The Chargers didn’t convert on a third down until the third quarter thanks to a 46-yard run from running back J.K. Dobbins. Even then, the Raiders defense buckled down and allowed only a field goal.
The unit seemed to run out of gas by the end of the game. The Chargers scored their first touchdown on the first play of the fourth quarter, then put together a long drive against the Raiders’ defense to ice the game with McConkey’s touchdown.
It’s hard to fault the group too much despite that finish. The defense gave the Raiders a chance as long as it could.
Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on X.