Raiders’ day-after reaction: Coach laments run game, GM looks for help

It was tough enough for coach Antonio Pierce to lose 22-10 to the Chargers in the Raiders’ season opener Sunday.

What made matters worse was seeing the Lions pummel the Rams with a punishing running game to win 26-20 in overtime Sunday night.

Detroit’s physicality and passion were everything Pierce wanted the Raiders to be about this year. And it was nowhere to be seen at SoFi Stadium.

“A big part of our game is our identity and being physical and being stout at the line of scrimmage,” Pierce said. “And that didn’t happen yesterday.”

The Raiders failed to take the fight to the Chargers on offense in the loss.

Their feeble running game squandered opportunities on third downs and left the team one-dimensional. The Raiders finished with just 71 rushing yards on 22 carries. Pierce said the offensive line “didn’t finish” up front and the running backs left yards on the field.

“We’ve got to run with better pad level with our backs overall,” Pierce said. “Some of these tackles, we gotta break through arm tackles.”

The offense’s struggles left the defense out to dry. The latter unit tired by the fourth quarter after being forced to take the field over and over again after quick drives.

The defense’s fatigue was evident when the Chargers put the game away by gashing the Raiders on a 61-yard run by running back J.K. Dobbins with less than five minutes remaining.

It was exactly what Pierce hoped to see from his team. He wants to wear opponents down with a potent run game, creating opportunities for explosive plays on the ground or through the air with play action.

Instead, his team was the one that wore down. That can’t become a recurring theme if the Raiders want to have a successful season.

“I think up front, we’ve got to finish,” Pierce said. “We’ve got to stay on our blocks.”

No word on Wilson

The Raiders entered Sunday’s game down one defensive end in Malcolm Koonce (knee). The team also lost Koonce’s backup, Tyree Wilson, to a knee injury against the Chargers.

Pierce did not have an update on Wilson on Monday, but said general manager Tom Telesco is looking at possible additions on the defensive line.

Former Raiders edge rusher Yannick Ngakoue remains a free agent and could contribute on passing downs.

No aggression

Quarterback Gardner Minshew completed 25 of 33 passing attempts Sunday in his first start as a Raider, but he did most of his work underneath.

Even his lone touchdown pass — a 31-yard reception by running back Alexander Mattison — was thrown behind the line of scrimmage.

Minshew failed to give his weapons many chances to make plays.

“We got playmakers. We gotta get the ball into their hands,” Pierce said. “We gotta protect better. We gotta make quicker decisions at the quarterback position. It all goes into play. It’s a group effort.”

Pierce said the coaching staff dialed up plays that were meant to attack the Chargers downfield.

“There were a lot of plays called in the passing game that (were) to be aggressively thrown down the field,” Pierce said. “A lot of things play into that. Protection, guys open, the quarterback. All of those things go into play.”

No fallout from late-game skirmish

The NFL did not give out any punishment Monday for a late-game scrap in the end zone Sunday that resulted in Raiders cornerback Jack Jones and Chargers wide receiver Joshua Palmer being ejected.

Pierce was not happy with the incident, which came after a failed Los Angeles 2-point conversion attempt with 3:40 remaining.

“I get it, we’re protecting our teammate. But we never want to put ourselves in a position where it’s possibly ejection, fines or suspensions down the road,” Pierce said. “We don’t want to be that team. The history of the Raiders has always been that team, but we don’t want to have that. We’ve got to be careful, and again I love protecting one another and going to battle for one another, but if you a throw punch or anything like that, you’re in the wrong sport.”

Jackson misses Ravens practice

The Raiders’ next opponent, the Ravens, returned to practice Monday after opening the year with a 27-20 loss to the Chiefs on Thursday.

Star quarterback Lamar Jackson was not present. Coach John Harbaugh did not give a reason for the reigning NFL MVP’s absence but said more clarity could come once the team’s first injury report is released Wednesday.

“We had a number of guys that weren’t out there. Some personal, some physical,” Harbaugh said. “Injury report comes out Wednesday afternoon, so you’ll be better advised on that day regarding all those guys.”

Contact Vincent Bonsignore at vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com. Follow @VinnyBonsignore on X.