The Las Vegas Raiders started the season on the road for the second year in a row against a division opponent but unlike last year, the Raiders could not come out with a victory. Things were tight for most of the game against a Chargers team that struggled to move the ball against a stifling Raiders defense, but Las Vegas had much of the same offensive struggles as the home team.
The offense struggled to put up points against a Chargers team that was dominant at the line of scrimmage and pushed around the Raiders' offensive line. It was similar to the same matchup last season where rookie Aidan O'Connell made his first start and was sacked six times by Khalil Mack alone. This time Mack got some help from his other defensive line buddies and they made things very tough for Minshew and the rest of the offense.
This was not the way that Antonio Pierce wanted to get his tenure as the official head coach of the Raiders started but there were still some positives to what was a crushing loss to a division opponent. Let's jump into the studs and Duds from a disappointing but not season-ending performance.
Stud - Alexander Mattison
Starting running back Zamir White got most of the hype this offseason as Raiders fans thought he could build on an impressive and to the 2023 season and become a feature back for the Raiders Instead, he was overshadowed by his backup Alexander Mattison who looked faster and more elusive than White in his limited opportunities.
Mattison ultimately only rushed for 19 yards on 5 carries but he did the bulk of his damage through the air as a receiver out of the backfield. He finished the day with four receptions for 43 yards and a touchdown which was the only one the Raiders scored all day. The touchdown came on a dump-off from Gardner Minshew that Mattison turned into a 31-yard gallop into the end zone after he shook off two defenders near the sideline.
It was a great display of Mattison's change of pace ability and on his limited carries he looked like the most effective weapon in the Raider offense. There are still concerns about his explosiveness and ability to carry an offense if he is the feature back but we know that he can be great off the bench when given an opportunity.
Stud - Brock Bowers
It was a solid debut for rookie tight end Brock Bowers as he made the most of his chances with six catches for 58 yards. He showed off some of his explosiveness with a 26-yard catch and run and he had the most receptions for the Silver and Black.
Luke Getsy is not afraid to line Bowers up all over the field as we saw him in tight, out wide, in the slot, and even in the backfield on occasion just like we saw in the preseason. It might be crazy to say but the way he moves in the open field and in and out of his cuts is reminiscent of a young Travis Kelce, who is known for his elusiveness and hip flexibility when in space.
This performance gives Bowers something to build on and is a promising start to his career against a defense that looked impressive for the most part. He faces a difficult test next week against Baltimore but is starting to develop a rapport with Minshew which is excellent considering some of the minor injuries he has had to deal with this offseason.
Stud - The Raiders defense … for the most part
The Raiders defense deserves a ton of credit for keeping this game close for as long as they did. The offense was struggling mightily all game long but for the most part, so was the Chargers offense and they have a much better quarterback under center.
The Raiders held Justin Herbert to under 150 yards passing and kept him out of the end zone until four minutes left in the fourth quarter when they were clearly gassed. They sacked Herbert once early in the game and the Chargers went with a quick passing game to try and negate the obvious advantage the Raiders had on the front line.
The defense held up well against the run, also for the most part, and per Ted Nguyen of The Athletic, 129 of the Chargers' 176 rushing yards came on four plays, the longest of which was JK Dobbins’ 61-yard backbreaker late in the game. The other 23 carries between Dobbins, Gus Edwards, Derius Davis, and Justin Herbert only netted 47 yards which is excellent. Obviously, getting gashed like that is not ideal but if the offense did their part we can hope that would not have happened.
Next up is a much more difficult task against former MVP Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry but there was a lot we saw in Week 1 to suggest the Raiders defense could be up to the task. Now let’s hope the offense shows up too!
Dud - Antonio Pierce
This was a tough debut for Pierce as the official head coach of the Raiders after he got his interim tag removed during the offseason. The defense looked as advertised but the offense was brutal and there were two chances that Pierce had to make his mark on the game but unfortunately went the conservative route or route of inaction.
Early in the game the Raiders had a 3rd-and-9 and ran a short pass to Tre Tucker who looked like he had enough for the first down. Instead, the officials marked him a yard short and the Raiders failed to get the first down on a 4th-and-1 plunge from Zamir White.
On replay, the Tucker catch and run looked like enough for the first down but rather than challenge the play to get the first, Pierce went for it on fourth down and the Raiders were stuffed for a turnover on downs. We know it was early in the game but if you're willing to go for it you should be willing to risk a challenge as well.
The other moment came with seven minutes left in the game where the Raiders faced a 4th-and-1 from the Chargers 43 while down 16-10. The obvious choice was to go for it and keep the drive for the go-ahead score alive but instead Pierce chose to punt it and his tired defense gave up a 92-yard touchdown drive that essentially sealed the game for LA.
Pierce spent all offseason talking about being a bully and he had his chance to impose his will on the game by getting that 4th-and-1 and keeping momentum on their side. Instead, he went the conservative route and his tired defense couldn’t deliver the stop the Raiders so desperately needed. He has a tendency to make conservative decisions when he should be more aggressive and this was a great example of that.
Dud - The entire offense
It’s never a good day for the offense when the team scores 10 points and there is plenty of blame to go around. Offensive coordinator Luke Getsy didn't have the best game plan and he seemed unable to adapt to the struggles of his offensive line the way that the Chargers were able to with a quick passing game.
The offensive line was a big negative and they might deserve their own slide but it feels unfair to single them out when the entire unit stunk up the joint. The Raiders rushed for just 71 yards and they also allowed Gardner Minshew to be sacked 4 times though he did move into the pressure on a couple occasions when he could have escaped.
Minshew put up efficient stats as he went 25-33 for 257 yards, a touchdown, and an interception but the pick came in garbage time off a tipped ball at the line of scrimmage. The numbers look solid on paper but Minshew never looked decisive and missed several open receivers with bad throws.
His worst moment came with the Raiders driving at the end of the first half with a chance to double up and instead, Minshew fumbled the ball on an unforced error and handed the Chargers three free points to end the first half. If the Raiders were able to put up another touchdown to go up 14-3 there’s a good chance they would win the game but instead, it allowed the Chargers to go into the half with momentum.
Zamir White was another candidate for the solo dud award as he struggled to get much going against a beefy Chargers front but much of that was on the offensive line. What was in his control however was ball security but he fumbled early in the third quarter when the Raiders were near midfield. It was another turning point in the game as he seemed to be picking up some steam with the D-line wearing down.
White ended up with a quiet day but the offense as a whole was quiet and they all deserve their fair share of the blame. Things don't get any easier next week with the trip to Baltimore but the hope is the Raiders offense just needs some more time to click as they were not able to do so in preseason or Week 1.