Oakland Raiders head coach Hue Jackson told reporters he was (to paraphrase nicely) peeved at his team for failing to capture the AFC West crown Sunday.
And he had every right to be.
The Raiders entered the home matchup against the San Diego Chargers knowing a victory and some help would get them into the playoffs.
Unfortunately, Oakland appeared outmatched throughout its game, even while it became clear the Denver Broncos were trying to make the Raiders” dream scenario happen, scoring just three points in an eventual loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Many familiar problems plagued the Raiders in their 38-26 loss to the Chargers.
Oakland”s offense tallied only one touchdown in three red-zone trips — the other two led to short Sebastian Janikowski field goals.
It”s hard to win NFL games scoring three points when on the doorstep of seven.
The Chargers struck for two touchdown passes of 38 yards or more, while averaging 11.9 yards per completion. Making matters worse, the Raiders” defense recorded no sacks and forced no punts.
It”s even harder to win without being able to stop the other team from scoring.
And yet again, yellow sank the silver and black, which got penalized eight times for 64 yards (with four resulting in automatic first downs).
Of course, it”s easy to say the Raiders would”ve been in the playoffs had they not run themselves aground with an awful game against the Chargers. But really, Sunday”s loss was a microcosm of Oakland”s season and only begins to tell the story of the team”s disappointing 2011.
The Raiders gave up 30-plus points six times but scored in the 30s just once.
The inability to get touchdowns was also a theme. Janikowski made 14 kicks from 39 yards or less (nine of which were shorter than 30 yards).
The offense moved the ball, ranking ninth in yards per game, but could only muster the 16th most points per contest.
Simply put, Oakland got down the field but couldn”t get in the end zone.
As bad as the offense was at scoring touchdowns, the whole team was even better at giving them up.
Oakland finished among the NFL”s bottom four in yards, points and passing touchdowns allowed. Special teams also joined the party giving up multiple return scores.
Those problems were bad but not the team”s most recognizable.
The Raiders racked up flags all season long, and after another consistent performance Sunday, they earned the distinction of all-time greatest, setting an NFL record with 163 penalties for 1,358 yards.
Add all that together and find the Raiders at No. 3 in the AFC West at year”s end.
Still, at 8-8, Oakland finished just one win shy of the playoffs, which means they did some things right.
Coming into December, the Raiders were atop the division at 7-4. They were close but fell victim to a three-game losing skid before splitting their final two contests.
The result: the offseason arrived earlier than desired. Now the organization needs to focus on making positive changes.
Jackson has to stay. Though he led Oakland to its ninth consecutive non-winning season, he has control of the locker room and the support of many players (if only those guys had responded with a good game Sunday).
So the coaching scapegoat will likely be defensive coordinator Chuck Bresnahan, whose firing should be a no-brainer considering his squad”s yearend rankings.
The team is also reportedly conducting interviews for a general manager in the wake of Al Davis” death. An outside mind could help Oakland make necessary personnel moves.
Adding new secondary defenders will no doubt be the priority, but team executives need to carefully consider what to do about several key backup positions on offense.
The Raiders need to re-sign running back Michael Bush to supplement the rushing attack led by oft-injured Darren McFadden.
And as unlikely as it sounds, Oakland should bring back Jason Campbell.
The future free agent started the year as the Raiders” No. 1 quarterback but fell from the picture after breaking his collarbone.
That injury forced Oakland to trade for Carson Palmer, who disappointed fans and team execs with poor, inconsistent play.
Yes, he played many games without key guys on offense but he also missed a lot of easy passes, threw way too many interceptions and got sacked too often.
The Raiders will need to have another quarterback ready in case the Palmer project fails. Plus, having a solid backup is an NFL necessity (something the Chicago Bears, Houston Texans and the Raiders themselves learned in 2011).
The offseason holds plenty of uncertainty for Oakland, but one thing is for sure: the organization and its fans expect to be in the playoffs next year.
