The bigger surprise occurred in Oakland during Game 2, the final game of the opening week of the 2009 NFL season.  Out came the Raiders, playing as if they themselves were the AFC West favorite and Super Bowl contender that had traveled up the coast from San Diego.  Not once during their current 11 game losing streak to the Chargers did the Raiders come out and completely dominate the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball like they did last night.  Heck not once did they dominate ONE side of the line of scrimmage in their 10 previous matchups.  It was as if all the talent accumulated during their stretch of early first round draft picks were living up to their potential all at once, making the Raiders appear to be a legit contender.  The Raider Defense penetrated early and often, frustrating the likes of Charger QB Phillip Rivers into an unsportsmanlike behavior penalty.  At least for the first half, the Raiders actually looked as scary as the fans that root for them!

 

 

And after thoroughly dominating the first half what did the Raiders have to show for it?  A tied ballgame at the half.   It’s fair to say the Chargers played absolutely terrible in that first half, and their saving grace was two forced turnovers by the Raider O and an iffy video review that kept four extra points off the board (the ball did touch the ground as it shifted).  Again, this was a tale of two different halves for the Raiders.  JaMarcus Russell looked unusually comfortable in the pocket and felt little pressure, but when forced to make decisions and accurate throws in the 3^rd quarter the story changed significantly.  The Raiders had a much tougher time  more moving the ball on the ground as the Chargers D-line finally started fighting back after getting run over in the first two quarters.  They were still not able to put a lot of pressure on Russell in the passing game, and we have to compliment the play calling that allowed Russell to get rid of the ball quickly in most situations.  Russell’s decision making was limited to half the field most of the time, and he connected very successfully with TE Zack Miller up the middle for 6 catches and 96 yards.

 

Upon further review, the Raiders looked to be a real contender through their first two quarters of the season, and at times in the second half as well.  But the Chargers were just too strong, even after losing two starting offense lineman and playing out of a hole the entire game.  Darren Sproles proved his worth as a franchised player with LaDainian Tomlinson never really got it going against a team he usually dominates. Each had a touchdown last night, but it was a stellar 4^th quarter performance by Phillip Rivers that sealed the victory for the Chargers.  Rivers also proved his worth with another victory after signing a contract worth up to $93 million contract extension in the off-season.  He’s gonna earn every penny if the Chargers continue to show up late to division games against big-time underdogs.