This season apparently it’s the Chargers who are the cure for what ails the Raiders. The Raiders broke their 4-game losing streak, scoring the most points (24) they have scored since the last time they played the Chargers (26). Meanwhile the defense held the Chargers to 19 yards on the ground and 17 points overall.
In so doing, the Raiders actually stayed in the playoff race heading into week 17. It’s one of only a handful of times in the past 17 years the Raiders had something to play for in the final week.
Top Baller: WR Hunter Renfrow
The Raiders scored on their opening possession thanks to a pass to Renfrow on a slant in which he bounced off the initial tackle attempt and raced 56 yards to paydirt. It was the first of five third down conversions by Renfrow on the day. In total he caught 7 passes for 107 yards in the game – his first 100-yard game at any level, as it happens.
Baller: LB Will Compton
Led the team in tackles by a wide margin. His 12 tackles in the game was 7 more than the next most on the team. Right out the gates, he was all over the place, making two stops on the first Chargers possession including the tackle on third down to force the punt. He was in on tackles for loss on each of the next two possessions, both ending in a three-and-out. On the final play of the game for Philip Rivers and the Chargers offense, Compton was in coverage to force him to throw the ball away and settle for a field goal.
Baller: QB Derek Carr
It was an efficient day for Carr, completing 26 of 30 passes for 291 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions. Two of his four incompletions were drops. And believe it or not, 291 yards is his second most of the season. He had 292 against the Bengals which was the last time the Raiders won a game.
Carr threw a pass on a rope to Renfrow on the slant that he took 56 yards for the first touchdown of the game. It was the fourth play of the game for Carr, three of which were completions.
With just under two minutes left in the second quarter, he got the ball with the score tied at 7-7. Then he moved the Raiders down the field in the 2-minute drill, starting with a 5-yard pass to Darren Waller, followed by a 20-yard hookup with Tyrell Williams. On 4th and two, he ran the bootleg out right and threw for Jalen Richard on a swing pass for 10 yards. Two plays later, he stepped up in the pocket and found Renfrow for 13 yards to the 12-yard-line and then found Renfrow again for nine yards. Two plays later, from the 3-yard-line, he ran the bootleg right again, this time he had some room and ran for the pylon for the score.
Baller: RB DeAndre Washington
The Raiders got the ball to start the third quarter and went on another touchdown drive. This one quite different than the previous one. The last one was all about time management, so they went to the air. This one was to be a long, clocking bleeding drive which meant a lot of keeping the ball on the ground. It went 75 yards in 13 plays, taking 8:49 off the clock. But most importantly, it ended with a touchdown.
On that drive alone, Washington ran the ball 7 times for 33 yards including the touchdown from five yards out.
The Chargers answered with a touchdown of their own to bring it back to a one-score game. In response, the Raiders went back to Washington a great deal. He touched the ball six times for 30 yards to help the Raiders move into range of a field goal to make it a two-score game at 24-14.
After the Chargers pulled it back to a one-score game, Washington helped ensure they didn’t get the ball back by finding a crease on third and 10 for 12 yards to ice it. He finished with 85 yards rushing on 23 attempts and two catches for 21 yards.
Ballers: RG Gabe Jackson, LG Denzelle Good
Good could be the best reserve guard in the NFL. He came in for the injured Richie Incognito at left guard and the Raiders didn’t miss a beat running behind him.
Good and Jackson’s fingerprints were all over that long sustained drive to begin the third quarter. One or both of them were making key blocks on four of Washington’s good chunk runs with Good laying the key block on Washington’s 5-yard touchdown run.
Good also made the key block on a 12-yard Washington run early in the 4th quarter while Jackson was one of the key blocks on Washington’s 12-yard run to seal the game.
Baller: DE Maxx Crosby
With the Raiders scoring on their first drive, Crosby was a big part of stopping the Chargers’ from answering. First by getting in on a tackle for loss on first down. Then on third and two, pressure from Crosby forced an incompletion on to end it with a three-and-out. And in the second quarter he got in the backfield on third and one to blow up an option keeper by Tyrod Taylor for a loss. He added a run stuff on the next drive.
Baller: P AJ Cole
Dude had a 74-yard punt (!) in this game. And it was only returned 11 yards to the 22. Three of his other four punts were stopped inside the 20, two of which were stopped at the 10-yard-line.
Honorable Mention
Tyrell Williams – Four catches on four targets for 82 yards. His third best numbers of the season. He must feel pretty comfortable in that stadium.
Alec Ingold – Ingold had not one, but TWO blocks on Carr’s TD run. It wouldn’t have happened without his efforts.
Buster – RT Brandon Parker
Parker got his third start in a row for the Raiders and once again was out of his depth. On the third Raiders possession, Parker gave up a sack on Carr that put them in 3rd and 16 and killed the drive. He gave up another sack on the next possession that put them in 3rd and 13 where he gave up a big hit on Carr that forced him to get rid of the ball well short of the first down marker. Two sacks and a QB hit in four possessions and Parker was benched for David Sharpe. Finally.
In case you’re wondering where the rest of the Busters are, there are no more. Just one Buster this week. Others made mistakes, but they either weren’t egregious or they made up for them with positive plays. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, everyone.
