Raiders Lose to Chargers by Decision : Pro football: San Diego’s Ross chooses correctly, Shell wrongly as AFC West leaders remain undefeated, 26-24.

Wake-up call? Raider Coach Art Shell dialed the wrong number Sunday.

Trying to shake his team out of its lethargy and get back in a game he trailed, 20-3, Shell passed up a near-certain field goal in the closing minute of the first half at the Coliseum and went for a first down on a fourth-and-three at the San Diego Charger six-yard line.

Instead of opting for the dependable arm of quarterback Jeff Hostetler, Shell went to his shaky running game, calling on Harvey Williams.

Williams came up a yard short and the Raiders wound up two points short, eventually losing, 26-24, before 55,385.

Tough call for Shell? No one can sympathize with him better than Bobby Ross.

The San Diego coach also had to make a crucial fourth-down call. He also went for the first down, but his fourth-quarter gamble paid off eventually in the game-winning points.

Faced with a fourth and one at the Raider 32-yard line in the closing minutes, Ross turned his back on a possible 49-yard field goal attempt by John Carney.

Instead, Ross rolled the dice and came up with an eight, quarterback Stan Humphries completing an eight-yard pass to running back Ronnie Harmon.

That enabled the Chargers to drive close enough for Carney to kick a 33-yard field goal with two seconds to play.

With one thrust of his right leg, Carney boosted San Diego into sole possession of first place in the AFC West at 4-0 and booted the Raiders out of early season contention, leaving them three games back at 1-3.

That kick also allowed the Chargers to hold off a Raider rally that enabled them to come back from a 17-0 second-quarter deficit, a 20-3 halftime disadvantage and a 23-3 third-quarter San Diego lead to gain a 24-23 edge on Lionel Washington’s 31-yard return of an interception with 7:01 to play.

But the whole complexion of this game had changed at the end of the first half.

It had been a miserable half for the Raiders, as dismal as any they have had in stumbling out the starting gate this season.

After being outscored, 82-23, in the first two games, both losses, the Raiders had broken through a week ago by beating Denver, 48-16.

But those were the defensively inept Broncos.

These were the re-charged Chargers, who came into town with an effective blend of old and new faces, the league’s top-ranked passer in Stan Humphries and the AFC’s leading sack unit with 12.

They showed a little bit of everything in that first half, starting with the instant they first got the ball.

That was after the Raiders’ opening drive stalled. Jeff Gossett kicked a 53-yard punt to Darrien Gordon, who appeared as if he was going to be tackled by James Trapp.

Instead, Gordon got away on the right side of the field, headed left, blew past Patrick Bates, who was blocked on the play, and found only Gossett between himself and the end zone.

“I just tried to grab the back of his shoulder pads,” Gossett said. “I ended up grabbing the side of his facemask, so I had to let go. I couldn’t quite get him.”

Gordon outraced the next closest defender, Rob Holmberg, to the end zone for a 90-yard return.

The Raiders seemed stunned. Once again, the game had started and nobody seemed to have told them. It’s a trend that has become all too familiar to this club.

San Diego, seeking its fourth consecutive victory at the Coliseum, added a 38-yard field goal by Carney and a one-yard run by Natrone Means. Means’ touchdown was set up by a 50-yard pass interference call against Eddie Anderson, the second time in as many weeks the Raiders have been on the receiving end of such a call. Last week, Washington got the call against Denver.

This time, when Humphries, on a third and 12 from his 49, headed for the line of scrimmage, safety Anderson bit on the move and came up. That left receiver Shawn Jefferson alone near the goal line.

Anderson tried to recover and race back. Attempting to make up for lost time, he hooked Jefferson’s arm. The throw was short, but Anderson was cited for impeding Jefferson’s path to the ball.

Two plays later, Means was in the end zone. An exchange of field goals, 43 yards by Jeff Jaeger and 24 by Carney, made the score 20-3.

The Raiders turned to quarterback Jeff Hostetler and wide receiver Tim Brown. They responded by hooking up on a 24-yard completion on the first play of the Raiders’ last drive of the half. The team drove 71 yards to the Charger six, where it was fourth and three with less than a minute to play.

“I wanted to do something,” Shell said, “to wake up the team.”

Williams went up the middle for two yards, ending the threat.

“I think it was a message that we wanted to win,” Williams said. “We wanted seven points, not three.”

Had they made the first down, the Raiders would have had only 48 seconds to get into the end zone, but Jaeger also had no problem with the call.

“I think he (Shell) should be given credit for going for it,” Jaeger said. “They don’t ask my opinion. I’m just his weapon. If he sends me in, I go. If he doesn’t, I just stand there and cheer. He’s the head coach, but you’ve got to cut him some slack. He’s just trying to do what’s right.”

The Raiders did plenty that was right in the second half. After Carney’s 27-yard field goal gave the Chargers a 20-point lead, the Raiders finally came alive.

Hostetler scored from a yard out and then went to Rocket Ismail on a 24-yard touchdown pass.

With San Diego trying to regain the momentum in the final quarter, Humphries sailed a short pass to Shannon Mitchell. Raider rookie linebacker Rob Fredrickson batted the ball into the air, where Washington was able to grab it and cruise untouched into the end zone.

But when the Chargers got the ball, they needed only three points to win. Had the Raiders let Jaeger kick at the end of the half, San Diego would have had to get into the end zone to win.

Shell took a gamble. Now he must take the criticism. And unless his team can turn around a season that has turned sour before it is a month old, he’d better get used to it.