2020 TNF Chargers-Raiders Recap

the Chargers at the Raiders goal line. After a bit of a messy next couple of plays, Justin Herbert finally ends the game with a QB sneak final score Chargers thirty, Raiders seven in overtime, effectively ending the season of the Las Vegas Raiders, who yes, they did it again for the second December in a row. They have collapsed and this one hurts more than all the others combined. Dan Hans is here with Mark Sessler. That was Joe Buck

with the call on Fox and NFL Network. Mark. The Waters are dead and they have no one to blame but themselves because they were set up on the first drive of overtime, first then goal inside the Charger five. They got a little bit cute, overly cute, uh settled for three and then left the door open, and we saw what happened. Yeah, I don't think they leaned on their strengths. Um, Darren Waller would have been an obvious target in that situation. Um, you know, it's this game

had so many twists and turns. One theme, and tell me if you disagree that sort of stuck out to me was that both teams were um prancing out their overt weaknesses, Like the the Raiders, Uh put all this effort into stopping the run, and they did a good job,

and the Chargers um out of the gate. One of the reasons that the first half shot by in like fifty two minutes was that both both teams quarterbacks because you lost car and had Mariotta, were so efficient and that extended to Justin Herbert who was like sixteen for

twenty and they were absolute magic through the air. And yet the Chargers did the most Chargers thing ever and their overt weaknesses decision making, um, special teams gaffs and not getting out of the corner they built just Anthony Lynn go on, no, no, exactly like it's it's it's sort of you know it was spice from every other Chargers game. But there were four or five players in the first half and early into the second where I thought,

why are you attempting to run the ball here? I know that that's what Anthony Lee wants to do, but um, yeah, when they threw the ball, they were very successful early on and um, this probably just should not have gone to overtime. It was the gaffs of both teams. And I mean there's a lot to get into their uh, very imperfect operations. And I mean the Raiders are not a playoff team and over the last you know, almost a month, they've proven that and they've lost the quarterback

now but maybe found a better one. Yes, well, okay for tonight. That's a loaded comment for the night. It was a special night for Marcus Mariotta, who had been in Mothballs for essentially a year and a half, came to the Raiders and couldn't even beat out Nate Peterman as the backup quarterback until three games ago. That's when

he moved up the depth chart for Vegas. And then Derek Carr scrambling uh looking to see, uh, find someone open in the first quarter toward the goal line, towards the sideline, does something very bad to his growing It looked painful, and he went straight back to the locker room, you don't see him again, and you think, oh, well, that's the Raiders season. And then I was thinking to myself because I had forgotten who is the Raiders backup?

Who is coming under there's Marcus Mariotta. And I thought that was a big takeaway from the game, And maybe it is a drop in the bucket in the big picture of the NFL going forward, because Mariota will be go back to being the guy that he was for four years in Tennessee if he ever got more of a chance, or you know who knows, Like the world is crazy and so is the NFL. Sometimes what we

saw from Mariotta was really really fun. And I know he had a couple bad passes and he wasn't perfect, but I was just amazed a guy could be totally cold, coming off the bench with no game action, no preseason as we all know, and just enter the game and just be throwing these darts in these beautle of touch passes for forty five yards, Darren Waller in the end zone, running like quick twitch athleticism, like looking like a number

two overall pick. The guy that Titans um I thought they were gonna have for fifteen years, So that was like for that too to have that as a Raiders van as John to be John Grenna be like, not only did our backup come in when it seemed like all was lost, but he played awesome and then still not find a way to keep your season alive. That is bitter. That is a bitter taste. It's a bitter

way to go. And I think it probably helped the Raiders that you know, a lot of these teams try to find backups that are similar fits to the starter to run the same exact offense. But Mariota came in and completely changed the environment with what he could do with his legs, and I thought that caused a ton of problems for for Los Angeles. I mean, this was the kind of game where, um, I don't know who to point or fingers at. I didn't love John Gruden

challenging UM a two yard game. Uh, okay, you got that. But on the next UM play Justin Herbert converted. Uh there was um the double whammy, which I don't even know if I've seen this um and if I had, it probably slipped memory where they received double fouls on a play um, which the only way that can happen is with a combination of past interference and face mask, and they did that, and it's like both of these teams sort of were screaming to say, please, opponent, steal

this game from me. Um, and the Chargers had their own versions of that. They're a maddening team, and it extended to special teams. Michael Badgeley, um, I, you know, I it's just I feel like we're saying the same stuff over and over. But um, I guess you know when you have justin Herbert Um. I trusted him to move the ball on that final drive, and it would have been nice if you just shut it down with that final pass. Um a little bit underthrown there, Um,

But they found a way out of this. I had no idea who was gonna win with three or four minutes left because it was just one of those games. Unbelievable. You don't want to kick Anthony Lynn while he's down. But I'm also sick of and this goes for our podcast and everyone else. Everyone has to qualify. But we love Anthony Lynn as a person. Yes, it's been said over and over again. Let's just stick to the facts

of what's happening on the field. The guy stinks. He doesn't he in terms of the head coach and and the mechanics of the end of a game and making strategic decisions, he doesn't really have it. And um, he's gonna if it doesn't work out in l A and he doesn't get another year, which I don't think he will, he will join someone else's coach. I'm doing it again. He will join someone else's coaching staff and be a

great addition. But this ain't working. I mean, you have Michael Badgley who entered this game with seven field goal misses, and with less than four minutes to go, you play for a forty six yard field goal essentially with Michael Badgeley, which he misses left. They get the ball back after the Chris Harris interception, they again played conservatively an attempt a fifty one yeard yard kick and to top it off before, of course, he misses that one. I believe

it was short and to the left. Uh, Anthony Lynne Ice is his own cake. It's crazy. Then the Raiders take over and I don't even know what they were what John Grun was thinking, but I know they didn't have a lot of time. But for it to end with getting near midfield, doing a sneak to get the first down, and then clocking the ball with two seconds to set up a sixty five yard field goal. That then you're the snap holder drops and you don't even

get that off. That was wacky. And then that takes us finally now to overtime, as I just spin through as quickly as possible mark all the coach UH foul ups. At the end of this game, the Raiders get the ball. The Chargers defense is gassed at this point, UH, and it looks like the Raiders are gonna save their season. They get the ball and they go immediately start marching

down the field. Booker for seven on the run, Mariota run for thirteen, Mariota dos a Jones for nine, Jacobs for two UH incomplete Mariota UH right tackle again seventeen yards on the ground, Jeff Josh Jacobs three yards, then Josh Jacobs eight more yards. They get set up first in goal at the four. Run to Jacobs for one yard,

run for Jacobs for negative two yards. They the Charges called time out and Mariotta comes out with an alignment with I believe three tight ends and Mario rolls to his right, leaving Darren Waller on the week side to just stand around doing nothing on a day you had a hundred and fift yards and a touchdown and targets alec ingold in the flat for a no chance of a touchdown score fourth down to kick the field goal, and and I guess John Grunen his head is thinking,

I know, my secretary was hideously embarrassed in the first half by Justin Herbert, But I'm sure they have one stop in them, are you kidding me? And it wasn't even close. And it's a bad job all around by the coaching, a terrible job, and I and it, and it did give us something pleasant on a couple I thought rather annoyed Troy Aikman quotes. One of them was, you know, just describing the raiders past defense to your

point on that last drive. And this came earlier in the game, and he was just sort of watching them get fried repeatedly. He just sort of said, it's hard to understand. And I love that sort of what that's a very troy ism where you know, you you know, he just wants to be a you know what he's saying. He used to being generous to to Grooten and uh did you get a second one? Um? When uh, you know, the first field goal for the Chargers miss? He said, Boy,

that just didn't look good from the beginning. And uh, well, I saw one someone on Twitter named Amida. I'm not sure who that is. UM put underneath that quote ancient Chargers special teams proverb, because it is. It happens every week. It seems to be a weekly thing with them. So I don't know how you flush out these issues without making um the compelling and you know case that this coaching staff needs to go and it's we you said it really well, it's not a personal thing, but um,

this is just not acceptable in NFL circles. I mean, with with the analytics, with the with the looks, I mean, special teams can not be treated as a cast off part of the operation. I mean the lucky to get out of here with a win, I mean, they was ridiculous they did. And and I mean the Raiders season is over and they have just as many questions. And I know Gruden has this tenure contract. I like Gruden. I think he's a good coach, but you gotta look at these games down the stretch and and these are

bona fide meltdowns. Yeah, I mean, Paul Gunther gets fired. You didn't see any improvement with Rod and Arronelli as the d C that because it's a personnel issue, probably more than a scheme. Maybe maybe Gunther wasn't doing the job from that perspective. But obviously they don't have enough guys, and it should be said, it's not just the fact that the guys aren't good enough that they have in the roster. They're totally banged up on top of it.

I believe Vegas was missing four defensive starters, but along with their offensive coordinator, who had who had Corona? I mean, there was a lot happening in this game. I mean, and it was so fitting for the game to end the way it did, where Herbert has gotten wide open for a walk in touchdown underthrows him but he got hit as he threw it. So set you up at the goal line and then it gets super sloppy including and you can do this. You know, time will forget this.

Justin Herbert fumbles at the goal line, live ball in the end zone. If the Raiders fall on that, that is goes right up there. With any other bad Chargers loss in the last ten years. But for once, the Chargers, um, you know, don't completely collapse and burst into flames. They recover that fumble and then Herbert goes in just barely on the next play to close it. So, yeah, the Raiders are done, Mark. We send them out to the corn fields. The Chargers were already there, so they essentially

came out to chaperone them, uh into the darkness. And that sets up beautifully for your Brownies, Mark, because the Raiders had a tie breaker on the Brownies. Um, is there any way with the Browns missed the playoffs? Now, is there a path? I think if they were to if they were to pull the Raiders in, you know, somehow lose to the Giants and Jets, who can get who can get them? Well, I mean I'd have to,

I'd have to dig into the to the math. But I mean, like, but the Raiders being out of the mix, that that helps a lot, But the Dolphins could catch them. That the cults are titans, Um the Ravens I mean, and and I should say the Raiders because of the Browns lose out and the Raiders win out. The Raiders then have that tiebreaker again. So the Browns just take care of one or both of those New York teams, and the Browns were to lose three in a row.

You don't want to. I'm not gonna. I will try to, you know, contain myself, but that will not be a pretty We don't want that. We don't want that, all right. I think that pretty much covers it. Again. It was a game with a lot of stuff going on, a lot of wonky stuff going on. I know Rosenthal's pissed because this is the exact type of game where he has about seven thousand points. He wants to make about it, and I was thinking that we have to like try to calm him down, but we can't because he's just

so excited. But I'm sure it will come up on next week's preview episode. And one last note, Marcus Mariota, one of those weird incentive things was going on. If he would have won that game, got the ball in the end zone first and goal from the four, uh, he would have made a million dollars and incentives. He's still got a bunch of money because he played sixty

of snaps in a game. UH, and his base salary salary jumped up next year, but it would have jumped up to essentially a one million dollar payday alas it wasn't meant to be. But good for Marcus Mariotta, you know, sure now he can be like one of these you know, um shiny couples in these commercials buying multiple cars for

each other on Christmas. He could literally go out and do that right now without any probably and we've we've taken six of the snaps on two podcasts today or we is there going to be a hike in our bass salary? I would suggest no, we get absolutely nothing. And I would suggest because you pointed out the that Lexus December to Remember ad campaign which is insane um SNL, which has been very hit or missed this year, more

missed than hit. But they perfectly Um I watched sent that up this past week, so check that out if you haven't. And everybody, Okay, that's it. That's the Thursday Night football recap next time you hear from us. So we'll be with Greg and hopefully West with a little bit of a dash of Nick Shook. And it's hard to just have a dash of that, man, but that's what we get on Sunday night, the Recap flagship show. So thank you to everybody for listening and until Sunday night, Oh grate us mhm an app