Week 12 Game Recap: Oakland Raiders 14, San Diego Chargers 21

What you need to know

Oakland Raiders

Little known TE John Madsen came from nowhere to more than double his season stats to date. He entered the game with three receptions for 43 yards, but put up three receptions for 69 yards and a touchdown. He also drew a long pass interference penalty, and generally was the biggest threat for the Raiders downfield.

For all the grief he takes, QB Aaron Brooks played extremely hard. He fought off tacklers all game long, and if not for sheer will and athleticism, the Chargers may have repeated their nine sack performance of Week 1.

The Oakland defense is still being underrated, but this was the first time in seven games that they gave up more than 17 points to their opponent. And giving up 21 to an offense like San Diego isn’t exactly terrible anyway. They held the Chargers in check for nearly the entire game, and made QB Philip Rivers look as bad as Eli Manning at times.

San Diego Chargers

Once again, the Chargers were bailed out by RB LaDainian Tomlinson. While he put up pedestrian numbers in the first half, Tomlinson once again made the plays down the stretch that enabled his team to win (including the game tying touchdown pass to TE Antonio Gates).

For the first time this season, QB Philip Rivers looked very ordinary. At times, he actually looked awful. The Oakland pressure really got to him all afternoon. He never was able to get into a good rhythm passing the football, and it showed in the numbers.

TE Antonio Gates returned to the mix in a big way. He had gone four straight games without a touchdown, the first time that had happened in his career since his rookie season of 2003. In this game, he was the most heavily targeted Charger, and responded with arguably his best statistical game of the season.

What you ought to know

QB Aaron Brooks, Pass: 17 - 30 - 187 - 1 TD / 2 INT, Rush: 4 - 29 - 0

Brooks played very well, though his stats don’t show it. The offensive line was crumbling around him for much of the game, though you wouldn’t know it by the stats. He avoided at least a half dozen sacks by breaking free of would be tacklers before he could be brought down. In many instances, he actually turned those near sacks into positive rushes. He showed great escapability and elusiveness, as San Diego failed to account for his rushing abilities by leaving the middle of the field open far too often.

As for Brooks’ passing numbers, they leave something to be desired although they could easily have been far better. He had at least one potential first down dropped by Randal Williams, and lost 18 yards passing on two separate plays that were negated by penalties.

RB Justin Fargas, Rush: 14 - 32 - 0, Rec: 1 - 16 - 0 (1 targets)

Fargas found very few running lanes all game long, as evidenced by his paltry 2.3 ypc. His long run of the game went for just six yards, and he was never able to get to the second level of the San Diego defense. The poor performance wasn’t entirely his fault, as the offensive line failed to sustain any blocks for him.

RB Zack Crockett, Rush: 7 - 22 - 0 (1 targets)

Crockett received half the number of carries that Justin Fargas got, despite being considerably more effective with the ball in his hands. That’s not to say Crockett lit up the stat sheet (3.1 ypc), but at least he was able to move the pile a bit when he got the carries. Crockett came up just short of a touchdown on a first quarter run from the three yard line. On first down, Crockett was stuffed after a two yard gain. ReShard Lee got the carry on the next play and scored from a yard out.

RB ReShard Lee, Rush: 1 - 1 - 1, Rec: 1 - 5 - 0 (1 targets)

Lee had an early touchdown from a yard out that put Oakland up early, but didn’t do much else of note. FB Zack Crockett was stuffed at the one yard line on a first down run. Lee got the call on second down and took it in on that play.

WR Ronald Curry, Rec: 3 - 19 - 0 (5 targets)

Curry wasn’t very active, and wasn’t heard from much as a result. He did have a 13 yard reception called back due to a motion penalty on the Raiders, but his involvement in the game was minimal.

WR Randy Moss, Rec: 3 - 26 - 0 (8 targets)

The announcers made several mentions about how happy Randy Moss seemed out on the field, and how much he appeared to be into the game. They must have been watching a different game, because the Randy Moss we watched dropped a very catchable first half pass, gave up on a deep route in the second half that was nearly intercepted by CB Drayton Florence, and put up very marginal statistics against a porous pass defense. He wasn’t thrown to until 12:07 remained in the second quarter, and he didn’t catch his first pass until 8:50 remained in the half. Just because he did better than one reception for eight yards doesn’t mean it was a solid performance by any means. His presence did cause San Diego to alter its defensive coverage slightly, as they wanted to make sure Moss wouldn’t beat them on any deep routes. But in doing that, they left the underneath and middle of the field open for guys like TE John Madsen and WR Randal Williams. Once the Chargers pumped up the pressure on QB Aaron Brooks and stopped worrying about Moss, that’s when the defense started to play a whole lot better.

TE Randal Williams, Rec: 4 - 29 - 0 (1 targets)

Williams didn’t make much of an impact on the game, dropping an early first down reception and then all but disappearing in the second half. At one point in the first half, he was seen limping off the field but he would later return.

TE John Madsen, Rec: 3 - 69 - 1 (8 targets)

Madsen emerged to become a big play receiving tight end for the Raiders, at least for a day. His day began well when he drew a pass interference on San Diego CB Quentin Jammer early in the second quarter, but he later missed a potential long reception down the seam when he allowed the ball to bounce off his helmet. Early in the third quarter, he hauled in a wide open pass down the left sideline for what appeared to be a 59 yard touchdown. Upon review, however, it was apparent that Madsen stepped out at the two yard line. Fortunately for Madsen, Aaron Brooks went right back to him on the very next play for a two yard touchdown slant.

PK Sebastian Janikowski 0 - 1 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 2 points

Janikowski pushed a 36 yard field goal attempt wide to the left on Oakland’s opening possession, and didn’t get another field goal attempt for the rest of the game.

OAK Rush Defense

For most of the game, the Raiders held RB LaDainian Tomlinson fairly well in check. The Chargers continued attacking the outside off the tackles, but Oakland’s surprisingly fast defense was able to cut off the angle more often than not. Of course, as has been the case for most of the season, Tomlinson really got it going in the second half. Tomlinson was held to 27 yards and a touchdown on his seven first half carries, but exploded for 82 second half yards and another touchdown on twelve carries. The big difference in the second half was a 44 yard scamper up the right sideline after a nice cut-back. CB Fabian Washington, perhaps the league’s fastest player, is the only reason Tomlinson was prevented from scoring a 67 yard touchdown (Washington was able to cut off the angle and track Tomlinson down). On Tomlinson’s final touchdown run, Stuart Schweigert had an opportunity to make an open field tackle, but was shoved aside en route to a ten yard scoring strike.

OAK Pass Defense

The Oakland pass defense is the main reason why this game was still a game in the fourth quarter. Oakland’s front was able to harass and get in the face of QB Philip Rivers all game long, and he never was able to settle into a rhythm. Rivers rarely had time to set his feet, and many of his passes were thrown off balance and without confidence. They forced him into numerous poor decisions, and he is lucky to have only been intercepted once. The player who got that interception, CB Nnamdi Asomugha, actually had his hands on at least two other potential picks that he simply dropped for incompletions. CB Fabian Washington also dropped what would have been a sure interception that was right in his hands. The two biggest plays of the game were both made in the fourth quarter against the Raiders’ pass defense unit. The first came on a fourth down reception by WR Vincent Jackson. He caught a slant pattern and dove to the ground untouched, then got up and spun the ball to the ground. Problem was, Jackson had never been touched down and the ball was apparently live. The Raiders recovered, seemingly giving them possession. But the officials correctly ruled that Jackson had made an illegal forward pass on the flip, and possession was returned to the Chargers. The Raiders did nothing wrong, and it was an unfortunate result for them, but the call was the correct one. Later on that same drive, the second killer play came when RB LaDainian Tomlinson took a pitch out wide and lofted a touchdown up to TE Antonio Gates to tie the game. San Diego would score on its next possession for the eventual game winner.

QB Philip Rivers, Pass: 14 - 31 - 133 - 0 TD / 1 INT, Rush: 5 - -1 - 0

For the first time this season, Rivers looked very human. The Oakland defense has been playing much better over the past five weeks, and this game was no exception. He was nearly picked early on by CB Nnamdi Asomugha, but the pass was a bit behind the defender and dropped. He threw a second quarter pass to TE Antonio Gates that Asomugha had right in his hands, but once again dropped. Finally, in the third quarter, Asomugha got a ball that he was able to hold onto. There was a fourth near-interception that was in the hands of CB Fabian Washington, but again the defender couldn’t hold it. Rivers was fortunate that he didn’t turn the ball over more, but he was very unfortunate in that the Raiders really got to him from beginning to end. Oakland’s defensive front got a ton of pressure on Rivers right from the outset, and never allowed him to feel comfortable. He rarely was able to set his feet and step into a throw, and many of his passes were thrown off his back foot or while on the run. On the rare occasions he did have time to throw, it usually meant his receivers were well-covered by the defensive backs.

RB LaDainian Tomlinson, Pass: 1 - 1 - 19 - 1 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 19 - 109 - 2, Rec: 1 - 5 - 0 (5 targets)

Once again, the overwhelming favorite for league MVP put the team on his back and led them to a victory. Despite being held in check for most of the first half, Tomlinson managed a touchdown on the ground and another through the air for the game tying and go ahead touchdowns to enable the Chargers to defeat Oakland for the second time this season and seventh time in a row. His second quarter touchdown run gave him 138 points for the season, breaking former PK John Carney’s team record. He had a tough time finding running lanes for most of the first three quarters, as the Raiders were consistently able to beat him to the spot on the outside and San Diego never really attacked the middle of the run defense. He gave Chargers’ fans and fantasy owners a bit of a scare early in the third quarter when he jogged off gingerly and looked to be checking on his lower leg on the sideline, but he returned soon after with no ill effects.

In the fourth quarter, Tomlinson bailed the Chargers out with two touchdowns, the first of which, a 19 yard touchdown pass to TE Antonio Gates, tied the game at 14. It was Tomlinson’s second touchdown pass of the season, and he is now 7-9 with six touchdown passes for his career. On San Diego’s next offensive possession, Tomlinson broke a 44 yard gain up the right sideline after a very nice cut-back against the grain. He was barely caught from behind by CB Fabian Washington, but Tomlinson ended up scoring from ten yards out later in the possession anyway. He now has 24 touchdowns on the season, and needs five over the last five games to break Shaun Alexander’s NFL record set one season ago.

WR Eric Parker, Rec: 4 - 28 - 0 (4 targets)

Parker’s stats were very mediocre, but he made a key reception late in the fourth quarter on the eventual game-winning touchdown drive. Parker made a diving grab of a low pass on the sideline to convert a third down and three from the Oakland 12 yard line. Tomlinson took a handoff up the left side two plays later for the game-winning score. As it turned out, Parker’s catch probably should not have counted because he juggled the ball upon hitting the ground. But Oakland was unable to challenge the play because HC Art Shell had just used the team’s final timeout, immediately after the Parker reception (rather than challenging the play and using that as the timeout while also potentially holding on third down if the call went his way).

WR Vincent Jackson, Rec: 3 - 32 - 0 (7 targets)

Jackson caught a handful of passes, but it was the one he failed to hang onto that turned into one of the more bizarre plays you’re likely to see this season. Facing a fourth down and two at the Oakland 40, Philip Rivers found a cutting Jackson for a 13 yard reception and a first down for the Chargers. Jackson, however, celebrated a bit too soon by standing up and spinning the ball to the turf. The Raiders quickly pounced on the seemingly loose ball, giving them possession. After a huddle, officials ruled that the Jackson flip constituted an illegal forward pass, meaning that possession remained with San Diego. Several moments later, officials determined that after enforcing the penalty, the Chargers would be left short of the first down, giving the ball to the Raiders after a turnover on downs. But after yet another brief conference, it was finally determined that even after enforcing the penalty to the Chargers, they would still have the necessary yardage to pick up the first down. During this time, Oakland HC Art Shell was seen with the same facial expression he has every single game. The call on the field was correct, but the Raiders were upset in that they did nothing wrong and the Chargers were bailed out by an odd penalty that actually was against San Diego. Despite the mental gaffe, Jackson remained in the game and actually drew a pass interference two plays later to help set up the touchdown pass from Tomlinson to Gates.

WR Keenan McCardell

McCardell was inactive with his calf injury.

TE Antonio Gates, Rec: 6 - 81 - 1 (13 targets)

The coaching staff clearly made a concerted effort to get the ball to Gates in this game, as evidenced by his game high 13 pass targets. In recent weeks, there have been more than a few whispers that Gates hasn’t been producing at his usually high levels, and today it was apparent that they wanted him involved early and often. Despite his seemingly substandard numbers, after this game, he is now on pace for 73 receptions, 878 yards, and seven touchdowns. The touchdown reception came on a halfback option pass from RB LaDainian Tomlinson, as Gates streaked wide open to the end zone and hauled in the pass untouched.

PK Nate Kaeding 0 - 0 FG, 3 - 3 XP, 3 points

Kaeding connected on all three of his extra points, but once again his kickoffs were an issue. His kicks gave Oakland excellent field position on two separate occasions, and he put another kickoff out of bounds for yet another illegal procedure penalty.

SD Rush Defense

The San Diego run defense was stifling, holding Oakland completely in check for the entire game. The Raiders totaled just 84 yards on 26 carries (3.2 YPC), with a good number of those yards coming on Aaron Brooks scrambles while eluding the pass rush. Starting RB Justin Fargas had almost no running room early on, and it didn’t get much better as the game went on. About the only player who seemed to have any kind of success was Zack Crockett, and even he averaged just over three yards per carry. Despite playing without several key run defenders, the Chargers had very little problems containing the Oakland running game and forcing them to be a very one dimensional team.

SD Pass Defense

The Chargers had several issues defensively, mostly in trying to contain QB Aaron Brooks in the pocket. On more than a few occasions, San Diego defenders appeared to have Brooks wrapped up for a sack only to see him fight out of the tackle and take off for positive yardage. Often, the Chargers would rush off the edges and leave the entire middle of the field open for Brooks to take off or at least buy a little time for himself. It wasn’t just the defensive front that had problems, either; the defensive backs were beaten several times by Oakland receivers on underneath routes. Curiously, the coaching staff made a concerted effort to prevent WR Randy Moss from getting behind the DBs. Moss hasn’t done much this season to warrant giving him a ton of respect, but for whatever reason the San Diego philosophy was to keep the corners back and the safeties deep to prevent the bomb. But Oakland never really attempted to go up top to Moss, and by the end of the game the Chargers were a lot tighter in the defensive backfield. The real deep threat was TE John Madsen, who drew a long pass interference penalty on CB Quentin Jammer early on, then went out and beat him for a touchdown later in the game. Jammer, who has played much better this season, looked very poor covering the bigger Madsen whenever he was on him. Jammer did somewhat make up for his poor coverage by intercepting a tipped ball late in the fourth quarter to help set up the game-tying touchdown pass. The nail in the coffin after the Tomlinson touchdown run was an errant Brooks’ pass that was intercepted by CB Drayton Florence. The ball was tipped in the air by Matt Wilhelm and cradled in by Florence to essentially end the game.