On a day when the Raiders offense bordered on complete incompetence at times, the Raiders defense and special teams did enough to beat the favored Chargers.
The Raiders started the game strong. The defense held the Chargers to a three and out and forced them to punt from deep in their own territory. That's when I stopped questioning the inclusion of Rock Cartwright on the roster.
I was not a big fan of Cartwright during the preseason, but the way that he has played on special teams this year has been great and today was the topper. Cartwright came soaring off the edge to block the Chargers' punt into and out the back of the end zone for a safety.
On the ensuing free kick, the Chargers kicked the ball out of bounds, giving the Raiders excellent field position. The offense was only able to pick up eighteen more yards, but that was enough to get into field position for Sebastian Janikowski who nailed a 50 yarder.
On the Chargers' next possession, the Raiders defense again stuffed the Chargers' offense and forced them to punt from deep in their own territory. This time, it was Brandon Meyers who came off of the edge to block the punt. This time, however, Hiram Eugene picked the ball up at the five yard line and ran it in for the touchdown.
With 10:33 seconds left in the first quarter, the Raiders held a 12-0 lead over the Chargers and the stadium was rocking. It was all thanks to the Raiders defense and special teams, and the big plays didn't stop there.
On their next two drives, the Chargers marched their way inside the Raiders ten yard line. Both times, right as the Raiders looked like they just could not stop Phillip Rivers and the Chargers offense,...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Oakland Raiders
