Raiders leave opener frustrated: ‘I feel like we beat ourselves’

They veered so far off course in their season-opening loss to the Chargers on Sunday that one had to wonder if their GPS was out of whack.

The Raiders made head-scratching coaching decisions, committed killer turnovers and got gashed by two huge runs in a 22-10 defeat to Los Angeles at SoFi Stadium. They did the opposite of everything they needed to do to win.

The Raiders fumbled twice and threw an interception. They ran for 71 yards on 22 carries, while allowing the Chargers to rush for 176 yards on 27 attempts.

Quarterback Gardner Minshew completed 25 of his 33 passes for 257 yards, but he rarely challenged Los Angeles downfield and was responsible for two of his team’s turnovers. The Raiders converted just five of their 14 third downs and settled for a field goal during their lone trip to the red zone.

“The run game was poor, the passing game was off,” coach Antonio Pierce said. “You can’t have three turnovers on the road and expect to win.”

Pierce and his staff were also guilty of some poor calls.

He opted to go for a fourth-and-1 from his own 41-yard line in the first quarter. Running back Zamir White was stuffed, leading to the Chargers kicking a 53-yard field goal to go up 3-0.

More head-scratching was Pierce’s decision to punt when the Raiders were trailing 16-10 and facing a 4th-and-1 from the Chargers’ 43-yard line with 7:15 left in the fourth quarter.

He said he believed his defense would get Los Angeles off the field and give the offense another chance to take the lead. Punter AJ Cole pinned the Chargers back at their 8-yard-line.

“I mean, we got what we wanted,” Pierce said.

But the Raiders didn’t get the stop they needed.

Running back J.K. Dobbins, who had a 46-yard run in the third quarter, busted a 61-yard run to flip the field. Quarterback Justin Herbert then put the game away with a 10-yard touchdown pass to rookie wide receiver Ladd McConkey that gave Los Angeles a 22-10 lead with 3:40 remaining.

“They broke off a long run, and that was the end of it,” Pierce said.

Adding to the Raiders’ frustration was the fact that the Chargers were beatable Sunday. Los Angeles had two first downs in the first half and didn’t convert a third down until the third quarter.

It was the Raiders’ gaffes that ultimately did them in.

“I feel like we beat ourselves,” Minshew said.

Minshew, in his first start with the Raiders, fell short of his goal of playing clean, efficient football for his new team.

His first mistake came in the second quarter with his team looking to extend a 7-3 lead with 1:22 left in the half. Minshew attempted a pass on a first-and-10 from the Chargers’ 48-yard line and lost control of the ball for a fumble. Linebacker Khalil Mack scooped it up and ran it back to the Raiders’ 12-yard line.

Minshew said there was a miscommunication on the play that led to him trying to pull the ball back, only for it to slip from his hand.

“Totally on me,” Minshew said.

The Raiders defense, like it did for much of the game, stepped up and limited Los Angeles to a field goal. But the Chargers entered halftime with life down just 7-6.

The Raiders continued to shoot themselves in the foot when play continued.

Two of their third-quarter drives ended due to self-inflicted wounds. White fumbled at the Chargers’ 47-yard line on the Raiders’ second possession of the second half with Los Angeles up 9-7. The team forced a punt and got the ball back, only for kicker Daniel Carlson to miss a 49-yard field goal on its next drive.

Time after time, the Raiders blundered their opportunities to take control of Sunday’s game. They’re starting the season 0-1 as a result.

“We just have to play cleaner,” said wide receiver Davante Adams, who finished with five catches for 59 yards. “There’s a lot to learn from, from today, but the one that we don’t even need to see the tape is obviously taking care of the football. We gotta be on that.”

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