Late Chargers FG sends Raiders to bottom of AFC West
OAKLAND, Calif. — It was picture perfect.
Cordarrelle Patterson motioned left and swept past quarterback Derek Carr while taking a handoff. Tight end Jared Cook cleared out a safety. Left tackle Donald Penn bowled down a defensive end. From there, it was pure speed, as the Raiders wide receiver dashed and weaved 47 yards in the manner his coaches designed it.
Execution on a touchdown is how the Raiders took a fourth-quarter lead Sunday.
Execution on an extra point contributed to their failure to protect it.
The usually steady Jon Condo sailed his long snap too high, Marquette King hurriedly placed the hold, and kicker Giorgio Tavecchio missed wide left. It should’ve been a three-point game. Instead, the margin was two, allowing the Los Angeles Chargers to drive for a game-winning, 32-yard field goal as time expired in a penalty- and mistake-riddled 17-16 loss.
The missed extra point was the difference on the scoreboard.
“I have one job to do: Snap the ball,” Condo said. “I didn’t make it happen, and I feel bad.”
If only the Raiders’ issues were so simple.
They have lost four straight games not because of a 36-year-old long snapper who’s made a career of consistency. They sit in last place in the AFC West not because of a special-teams department that overall has been a strong suit. King has blasted punts. Coverage has been solid. Tavecchio is perfect on nine field-goal attempts.
At 2-4, the Raiders are nearing make-or-break territory because of an out-of-sortedness that has surfaced most consistently on offense.
Carr threw two interceptions in his return from a transverse process fracture in his lower back. The first came on his first throw of the afternoon, intended for wide receiver Michael Crabtree. On the second, he was unable to connect with running back Marshawn Lynch over the middle, the ball thrown too far ahead of him.
“Details,” Carr said. “That’s the frustrating thing. I’m not going to lie to you. I’m really frustrated. We work too hard for that kind of stuff to happen. That’s an easy catch, that’s an easy play if I do the right thing, if our players do the right thing. … It’s myself and the whole offense included. We need to lock into every detail. That’s the problem. There’s nothing else. … We’re working hard, but we have to lock in on the details.
The Raiders scored 71 points in their first two games of the season, both wins.
They’ve scored 43 points in the four losses.
They had as much trouble with the officials as they did Los Angeles’ defense. Left tackle Donald Penn was flagged for false start after Chargers defensive end Joey Bosa flinched into the neutral zone. Right guard Gabe Jackson twice was flagged for offensive holding. With about six minutes remaining, the Raiders led 16-14 on their own 26-yard line. A long drive potentially could seal the game. But Oakland opened with an illegal formation penalty that negated a 19-yard Amari Cooper catch.
The Raiders ultimately went three-and-out.
This set up the game-winning drive in which tight end Hunter Henry caught two passes for 57 yards.
Sunday’s game was the sort the Raiders have shown a knack for winning. They entered having pulled out eight straight games that were decided by three points or fewer since 2015. The Chargers had lost 10 of 11 such games. Be it due to untimely penalties or the finer details of execution, this day was different.
This season is different.
At this rate, it could soon run out of time.
More Raiders: Follow all of our Raiders coverage online at reviewjournal.com/Raiders and @NFLinVegas on Twitter. Contact reporter Michael Gehlken at mgehlken@reviewjournal.com. Follow @GehlkenNFL on Twitter.
