SANTA CLARA – A disastrous showing against the Seattle Seahawks in London a few weeks back felt like the Raiders' rock bottom.
Nope.
There was farther left to fall. Turns out this canyon their in is actually an abyss.
This 34-3 loss to the 49ers seemed to be as bad as it can get given the ease of opponent, but that's not so certain anymore.
With this team playing this way, there's no telling how bad it can get.
The Raiders got all Fs against the Seahawks but they were worse in every way on Thursday night, so we'll have to find a new low with this report card.
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Rushing offense
Doug Martin hurt his side early in this game, but returned and ran decently well for a second straight game. He had 49 yards on 11 carries, and the Raiders as a whole had 23 rushes for 102 yards. That ain't bad, and will stand as the long exception to the failures below.
It didn't help turn any tides, however, and was inconsequential despite decent numbers.
Grade: C-plus
Passing offense
The offensive line got beat up by another injury plague, and were left to mix and match in unorthodox ways just to finish a game. That prevented Derek Carr from doing much of anything. He finished a second game in the last three tries without throwing a pass at least 10 yards in the air. He was sacked seven times and barely had time to throw.
There was no rhythm after the opening series, and there was no chance of a comeback with the team grounded and forced to complete short passes.
Grade: F-minus
Rushing defense
The Raiders run defense stinks, and couldn't handle any part of Kyle Shanahan's zone scheme that often ventures outside. The 49ers compiled 143 yards and a touchdown on 32 carries, an effort that set up easy play action passes for young quarterback Nick Mullens.
The Raiders gave up four runs of 12-plus yards, and it was those big runs that called the Raiders' effort into question.
Grade: F-minus
Pass defense
The Raiders should've had an easy day against Nick Mullens, who made his NFL debut after spending most of his professional career on the practice squad.
The Southern Miss product looked like Dan Marino out there, completing sharp passes to wide-open receivers while completing 16-of-22 passes for 262 yards and three touchdowns for a 151.9 passer rating.
George Kittle went off as expected. Even Pierre Garcon was wide open all night, often due to missed assignments and blown coverage.
Grade: F-minus
Special teams
Daniel Carlson made a field goal attempt and missed one. Not great for a rookie who just got here. And, when we'll keep it simple when it comes to Johnny Townsend. The Raiders need a new punter.
Grade: F-minus
Overall
The Raiders are simply awful in all phases, but played some of the worst defense in recent franchise history. Execution is poor. Execution can be questioned, and frustrations are running high. Even good friends and colleagues Jon Gruden and Paul Guenther are arguing on the sidelines. This team can't play any worse…or can it?
Grade: F-minus
