For the second week in a row it appeared as if the Raiders were going to pull out a relatively surprising win, only to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory in the fourth quarter ... again. The Raiders were outscored 28-3 in the second half, including 25-3 in the fourth quarter, as the San Diego Chargers survived an early scare and pulled out the 28-18 win.
If you recall last Sunday, the Raiders entered the fourth quarter in Buffalo leading 16-7, only to be outscored 17-7 in the final 15 minutes. Similar story this week, as Oakland quickly jumped out to a 15-0 lead in the first half, only to seemingly quit playing in the second half.
Second-year quarterback JaMarcus Russell threw for 277 yards on the day -- including a 65-yard touchdown to tight end Zach Miller -- but turned the ball over twice in the second half, leading to a pair of San Diego touchdowns.
The Oakland ground game never established itself as Darren McFadden, still dealing with some turf toe issues, ran the ball only seven times for 20 yards, while Michael Bush was held to 48 yards on 14 carries.
Oakland's defense managed to keep Ladanian Tomlinson to a paltry eight yards rushing in the first half, before allowing him to run wild in the second half to the tune of 98 yards and a pair of touchdowns -- including a 41-yarder late in the fourth quarter -- on 12 carries.
This loss, combined with last weeks meltdown, will no doubt start the daily "is this the day Lane gets canned" discussions. Let the Kiffin watch begin! Though, I like the confidence the young coach has in his kicking game.
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