The Las Vegas Raiders needed to win against the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday Night Football to take an early lead in the AFC West. This attempt was thwarted in front of a national audience in Week 2 by, truthfully, a superior team.
In a loss, especially one that felt more lopsided than the 20-9 final score showed, there is going to be more bad than good. With that in mind, here are seven losers and just three winners from the Raiders' loss to the Chargers.
Winners and losers from Raiders' brutal Week 2 loss to Chargers
Losers
1. Geno Smith, QB
There's not much to say about Smith that Raider Nation couldn't see with their own eyes or tell from the box score. This was one of the worst quarterback games in recent memory for the Silver and Black, and while one player cannot solely lose a team the game, Smith came pretty darn close.
2. Isaiah Pola-Mao, S
Pola-Mao had a rough showing against the Chargers, missing several tackles and earning a personal foul for a hit on quarterback Justin Herbert. At one point in the game, he had given up three catches for 94 yards and two touchdowns, according to ESPN's Ryan McFadden, so he has to be way better.
3. Jordan Meredith, C
Meredith was average in Week 1 and needed a strong game against LA to boost his confidence. But he had a handful of high and low snaps against the Chargers, including one that he snapped directly off his rear end. His blocking left plenty to be desired as well, so this was a rough all-around game.
4. Maxx Crosby and the defensive line
Crosby made a big play, forcing a fumble at the end of the game, but it was too little too late. Outside of Jonah Laulu, the defensive line failed to make Justin Herbert even the slightest bit uncomfortable, which was disappointing considering the Chargers have a relatively average unit outside of Joe Alt.
5. Chip Kelly
It is tough to figure out exactly what Kelly was thinking during this game. His usage of Ashton Jeanty was abhorrent, and he got stubborn trying to take the top off a defense that was begging the Raiders to establish the run and throw the ball underneath. He shoulders a lot of blame as well.
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6. Dylan Parham, G
After being so solid for three full seasons, Parham has clearly regressed in Year 4 thus far. He got penalized twice more in Monday's game, and he let several Chargers defenders bat down passes or waltz into the backfield to pressure Smith without much resistance.
7. Zamir White, RB
Not only is White ineffective as a runner and pass-catcher on offense, but he gets picked on as a kick returner. Opposing teams kick the ball to him because they don't view him as a threat, which is evidenced by his four returns on Monday averaging 22.8 yards, with a 25-yarder being his longest.
Winners
1. Patrick Graham
Graham and his unit, somehow, only gave up 20 points to Herbert and the Chargers. If it weren't for one big play to Quentin Johnston, it would have been even less. They embodied the "bend, don't break" mantra once again and gave Las Vegas a fighting chance over and over again, to no avail.
2. Jonah Laulu, DT
Laulu, a Las Vegas native, showed out in front of his home crowd. He was the lone bright spot on the defensive line, recording 2.0 sacks, three tackles for loss, three quarterback hits and four total tackles. He is now the team's leader in sacks with 3.0 in the young season.
3. Dylan Laube, RB
Laube unexpectedly got some run on offense at the end of the first half, and he made the most of his opportunities. He had a solid rep in pass protection and caught both of his targets for 17 total yards. Laube also made a nice special teams tackle.