Raiders report card: Failing grades in 3 phases against Colts

How the Raiders performed in a 25-20 loss to the Colts on Sunday at Allegiant Stadium:

Offense: F

The Raiders had 1 yard after their first two series. They had 5 after the first quarter. They played with the urgency of a snail. They averaged 4.8 yards per play and were 5 of 13 on third down. Derek Carr finished 24 of 38 for 248 yards and two scores but couldn’t make the key throws when needed most. Josh Jacobs ran for 78 yards and caught six passes for 28. Davante Adams went for 126 yards on nine receptions, including a 48-yard scoring strike. The offensive line was shaky in spots with penalties and protection, allowing two sacks, four tackles for loss and five quarterback hits. The Raiders managed just 77 yards on the ground.

Defense: F

They allowed arguably the NFL’s worst offense 25 points and 415 yards on 59 plays. Matt Ryan got the surprise start at quarterback for the Colts and threw for 222 yards and a score. The Raiders — against a team that allowed nine sacks last week against New England — managed just one (Maxx Crosby) on Sunday. Crosby had 10 tackles (four solo). But the Colts were 6 of 11 on third down. Indianapolis has been overly porous moving the ball this season — Ryan was benched because of it — and yet averaged 7.0 yards per snap. The Raiders allowed two big plays — a 66-yard touchdown run by Jonathan Taylor and a 39-yard run by Ryan, a slow-footed 37-year-old, on the decisive drive in the fourth quarter.

Special teams: B

Not much here but not in a bad way. AJ Cole had himself a day, averaging 53.4 net yards on five kicks. He pinned the Colts inside the 20 three times. One punt was downed inside the 5. The Colts responded with a three-and-out, and the Raiders followed with a touchdown drive. Ameer Abdullah averaged nearly 28 yards on three kickoff returns with a long of 30. Daniel Carlson had a quiet day, not attempting a field goal and making both of his extra-point attempts.

Coaching: F

Something is amiss, and it’s growing more and more obvious with each passing loss. The energy McDaniels suggested was present all week in practice certainly didn’t show to begin the game. His team sleepwalked through the first 15 minutes. This is the team’s sixth one-score loss. That’s about execution but also much about coaching. McDaniels has won seven of his past 31 games as an NFL coach. That’s awful.

Ed Graney is a Sigma Delta Chi Award winner for sports column writing and can be reached at egraney@reviewjournal.com. He can be heard on “The Press Box,” ESPN Radio 100.9 FM and 1100 AM, from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. Monday through Friday. Follow @edgraney on Twitter.

Ed Graney Las Vegas Review-Journal