The Chargers utterly dominated the Raiders on both sides of the ball in an ugly display that carried no positive inertia. The men of the Silver And Black were dominated, cowed, and blown off the line of scrimmage. The Oakland sideline was full of shell-shocked hundred-yard stares. The Raiders were in mid-season give-up form. Yet it was only Week One. of Week One, even. The first boos began to waft down from the stands within the first quarter with three minutes remaining.
The Raiders' problem summarized? Incongruous coaching decisions poorly executed unenthusiastically by talented men not working in synch. One of the joys of football is to watch a team's plan change over the course of a game to adapt to their opponent. The Raiders did no such thing until it was time to put in the backups in the 4th quarter.
By SFist Christopher Rogers for "American Football Spectacular," contributing
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