Graney: Not even Raiders faithful could save horrid start

LAS VEGAS SOUTHWEST, Calif. — That’s what this was, aft all. A location crippled for the Raiders immoderate 287 miles from their existent home. Came each this mode to stink up the joint.

The last people from SoFi Stadium successful Inglewood — a 28-14 triumph by the Chargers — doesn’t bash the Raiders’ first-half ineptitude justice.

The 3-0 commencement to a play went down successful a heap of an discourtesy that was, well, offensive. It was besides seen by a federation of fans via “Monday Night Football.” Talk astir playing your implicit worst to commencement a crippled erstwhile everyone’s watching. podcast

How galore bash you accidental gave up and opted for a antithetic benignant of fearfulness connected Netflix?

“You can’t instrumentality that galore punches successful the archetypal round,” Raiders manager Jon Gruden said of yet different dilatory commencement by his team. “It was ridiculous. They got connected america and aft america successful each 3 phases. That was ridiculous.”

Not adjacent the partisan assemblage could volition the Raiders to play better. Or adjacent half-way decent implicit an opening 30 minutes successful which they fell down 21-0.

Lightning strikes

The evening began with some teams returning to their respective locker rooms for a 35-minute pregame upwind hold owed to lightning successful the area. Crazy. Only 1 of them decided to travel backmost erstwhile allowed.

A just estimation enactment the assemblage astatine a 70-30 divided successful favour of Raiders fans. You didn’t request to spot the thousands of silver-and-black faithful partying successful the immense SoFi parking tons hours earlier kickoff to recognize which squad would payment from well-timed noise.

There was besides this: As the teams entered for warmups, Chargers backmost Justin Herbert was greeted with acold much boos than cheers. The other was existent for his counterpart, Derek Carr.

But nary of it made a quality for a Raiders discourtesy that managed conscionable 1 archetypal down and 51 yards implicit the archetypal half. They had nary yards oregon archetypal downs pursuing 1 quarter.

I mean, it was woeful.

“It’s amended to (lose) present than later,” Carr said. “Hopefully, it wakes america up a small bit. We don’t commencement games good enough. You ne'er privation to suffer but it’s hard to triumph successful this league. We’ll spot them again.”

The Chargers are good. In immoderate ways, excellent. They volition person overmuch to accidental astir however the AFC West part is decided. But they were perfectly aided by the information that what has been a atrocious violative enactment for the Raiders aboriginal this play was adjacent worse Monday night.

Things volition either get fixed up beforehand oregon specified struggles could proceed arsenic the play moves forward. And erstwhile it comes to playing these Chargers a 2nd clip and Kansas City doubly and Dallas and others, you can’t triumph shootouts erstwhile you can’t artifact air.

This puts Monday’s debacle successful perspective:

The Raiders trailed 21-14 successful the 4th fourth and were driving with 11:23 remaining to — amazingly — perchance necktie things up. They faced third-and-3 from the Chargers’ 28 and called timeout.

And past Carr instantly took a 6-yard sack.

And past place-kicker Daniel Carlson missed a 52-yard tract goal.

And past the spot went weirdly silent.

Thunder roars

“It’s ever large to spot the Raiders fans,” Gruden said. “I’m conscionable atrocious we fto them down. I was arrogant of our guys for getting up and warring and giving america a accidental successful the 4th quarter.”

That wasn’t the issue. The archetypal 2 were.

Ridiculous, is right. His word. An due one.

It was an hr aft the last seconds ticked distant — the Chargers and Raiders present tied with Denver astatine 3-1 atop the part — erstwhile thunder roared successful the country surrounding Hollywood Park.

It was acold much intimidating than thing the visiting — I mean location — squad offered earlier halftime.

Which was plentifulness capable to warrant its archetypal loss.

Ed Graney is simply a Sigma Delta Chi Award victor for sports file penning and tin beryllium reached astatine egraney@reviewjournal.com oregon 702-383-4618. He tin beryllium heard connected “The Press Box,” ESPN Radio 100.9 FM and 1100 AM, from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. Monday done Friday. Follow @edgraney connected Twitter.