The first full season of the Antonio Pierce era got off to a rocky start on Sunday, as the Las Vegas Raiders lost their season opener against the Los Angeles Chargers 22-10 in the City of Angels.
The Raiders' defense showed up to the party for most of the day, holding Justin Herbert and the new-look Chargers offense in check. However, in the second half, Chargers running back J.K Dobbins ran wild and broke off a couple of monster gains. After the game, Pierce was not pleased.
“When the game was on the line, we’ve got to fit up the run correctly,” Pierce said. “Guys have got to get off blocks. Second-level players have got to fit up. Hats off to them. They stayed consistent with their game. They didn’t beat themselves.”
The Chargers' running game was the difference, as Dobbins finished with 135 yards and one touchdown on just 10 carries. While both passing games struggled, Los Angeles found some stability on the ground that allowed them to sustain drives.
Where the Raiders must improve after Week 1 loss
The Raiders had their chances to take down the Chargers in Week 1, but a few shortcomings and a big difference in the running game in the second half allowed Los Angeles to take the win in Jim Harbaugh's first game. So, what were the Raiders' biggest problems and where do they need to improve going forward?
The most disappointing aspect of the team in this one was the front seven, a group that had played well at times last season under Patrick Graham. In addition to allowing Dobbins' hyper-efficient game, the Raiders' pass rush sacked Justin Herbert just one time. In fairness to them, Herbert has become one of the elite pocket navigators and sack-avoiders in football, but you still need to be disruptive at the very least as a defensive front against a Chargers offensive line that is exploitable.
Offensively, the Raiders failed to do much of anything against a Chargers defense that wasn't exactly a stout unit in 2023-24, and the running game was the main culprit. Las Vegas ran the ball for just 71 yards on 22 carries as the ground game consistently left them behind the sticks and asked Gardner Minshew to pick up the pieces.
On the surface, Minshew had a fine debut in silver and black, completing 25 of his 33 passes for 257 yards with one touchdown and one interception late in the game on a batted ball. However, he took four sacks and finished with a QBR of just 29.8. Minshew managed the game fine, but was unable to get the Raiders out of the hole that their running game put them in.
Minshew wasn't brought in to put out fires, he was brought in to not start them. If the Raiders want to start having success this season, they need to find some more balance and improve up front on both sides of the ball.
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