Raiders report card: offense, coaching get failing grades in Rams loss

By Ed Graney

Las Vegas Review-Journal

2 months ago

Raiders cornerback Nate Hobbs (39) celebrates his fourth down stop of Los Angeles Rams running ... — Raiders cornerback Nate Hobbs (39) celebrates his fourth down stop of Los Angeles Rams running back Kyren Williams (23) with Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby (98) during the first half of an NFL game at SoFi Stadium on Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (Heidi Fang/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @HeidiFang

How the Raiders performed in a 20-15 loss to the Rams:

Offense: F

Four more turnovers spelled doom for the team’s chances to win. Quarterback Gardner Minshew replaced the injured Aidan O’Connell in the first quarter and couldn’t sustain drives. He threw three interceptions. He had a fumble returned for a touchdown. Pre-snap penalties also continue to kill the Raiders. That’s all about discipline. This team has little of it. Minshew completed just 15 of 34 passes for 154 yards in addition to his turnovers. That resulted in a quarterback rating of 21. The Raiders got a bit of a run game going with Alexander Mattison, who had 92 yards on 23 carries. Rookie tight end Brock Bowers continues to be the team’s star on offense. He caught a career-high 10 balls for 93 yards on 14 targets.

Defense: B

This side of the ball played well enough to win the game. The Raiders’ defense did what it was supposed to do against a depleted Rams’ offense. It gave up only 13 points and was especially good in short yardage. Los Angeles converted just two of 10 third downs and had 259 total yards. Defensive end Maxx Crosby had a sack and a tackle for loss for the Raiders. Safety Isaiah Pola-Mao led the team with seven tackles and cornerback Nate Hobbs added six and an interception. Safety Tre’von Moehrig had six tackles.

Special teams: A

All the offense the Raiders could muster came off the foot of kicker Daniel Carlson, who tied his career high in field goals made with five. He made kicks from 38, 47, 38, 27 and 27 yards. AJ Cole averaged 47.5 yards on his four punts with a long of 56.

Coaching: F

Here’s where the lack of discipline begins. Untimely penalties that stall drives have become a weekly issue for coach Antonio Pierce’s team. His game management issues also continue to raise questions. He didn’t go for it on fourth-and-goal from the 9-yard line with 2:46 remaining despite being down by eight and having all three of his timeouts. The Raiders did get the ball back with 1:39 to play, but Minshew threw his third interception.

Ed Graney Review-Journal