4 Raiders who who proved they don’t belong in Week 4 loss to Chargers
By Kristen Wong
This year's Raiders-Chargers matchup felt eerily like the Raiders-Chargers matchup in Week 18 of last year: offense-heavy, chaotic, and with a good dose of sloppiness.
Las Vegas set the tone early when Jerry Tillery rammed into Justin Herbert when Herbert was already out of bounds; Tillery would be ejected from the game. This game promised more than just late hits -- it had Herbert's dazzling brilliance, Josh Jacobs' powerful runs, and a certain pass-rusher wreaking havoc on anything standing in his way.
The game was close, as the Raiders' latest performances have felt, and having lost their third straight game, the team may start looking for people to blame.
Some Raiders didn't belong for a negative reason -- either they made too many mistakes or couldn't muster enough production. Other Raiders didn't belong because they're in a tier above the rest.
Here are four players from the Raiders' loss to the Chargers who stood out.
Raiders who don't belong No. 4: Aidan O'Connell
The rookie fourth-rounder got his first NFL start of his career with Jimmy Garoppolo sitting out due to not passing concussion protocol. Aidan O'Connell didn't look completely awful out there, but he didn't play a clean game either.
He finished with 238 yards and no touchdowns against one interception; he also fumbled three times, two of which were recovered by the Chargers at critical moments in the game.
O'Connell was able to use Josh Jacobs as a weapon again for the first time this season, relying on Jacobs' explosive rushes as well as his pass-catching ability out of the backfield. The young quarterback also connected with Davante Adams to give Adams eight catches for 75 yards.
Heading into Week 4, it came as a slight surprise when the Raiders announced they would start O'Connell in lieu of veteran Brian Hoyer. Sunday's loss proved O'Connell, despite his best intentions, wasn't quite ready to command this offense. Few expected him to do so this early into his NFL career, and in no way is O'Connell a lost cause (it's only one game!). He simply needs more time and more experience.