Raiders Displayed Multiple Positives Against Chargers, Even in Defeat

The Las Vegas Raiders were unable to beat the Los Angeles Chargers on the road in Week 1. Still, there were a few positives the team can take away from the loss.

Sep 8, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Helmets at the line of scrimmage as Los Angeles Chargers center Bradley Bozeman (75) snaps the ball against the Las Vegas Raiders in the first half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Las Vegas Raiders came up short on the road against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 1.

While the score got out of hand late in the game, the Raiders played well defensively against the Chargers for most of the game. The Raiders held the Chargers’ offense to three field goals until the fourth quarter. The unit showed it legitimately has the potential to be one of the best in the league this season, especially if they can get some help from the Raiders’ offense.

Coach Antonio Pierce feels the Raiders had multiple positives from their game against the Chargers, even in defeat.

"Yeah, defensively, I'll start off,” Pierce said. “I mean, we got out of the gates very fast, just like we wanted. Patrick [Graham] called the game aggressively. We got after it. Hit the quarterback, affected the quarterback, and pressured the quarterback. We were really good on third downs, good in the red zone. Run defense, 83-85 yards in the first half. Boom – we're playing the kind of game we wanted. Full-court defense, half-court offense with field position.

“Special teams, I thought we made some plays here. We did a good job on number 12 [Derius Davis], a really good returner. Thought we pinned him back, got a tackle inside the 15-yard line there. And then offensively, we'll make an explosive play, and then there will be a negative. We couldn't put back-to-back good plays together, and that was frustrating.”

Pierce noted that the team still has many things to work on before another road game in Week 2, a matchup against the reigning league MVP, Lamar Jackson, and the Baltimore Ravens. Coach Pierce feels the Raiders’ offensive line and running game must get on track.

“And again, to be honest, you want to get the run game going early,” Pierce said. “Every team in the National Football League, you watch them. Saw the Detroit Lions at the end of the night last night. The ability to run the ball, that's critical late in ball games. And we got to do that, and we got to do a good job of finishing. 

“It starts up front with our O-line. [It] starts with our coaches as well. And then I'm going to keep going to our backs, man. We got to run through contact, we got to run with low pad level, we got to run with a certain intent, and we didn't do that yesterday, and it didn't show up enough."

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