For Raiders, It’s a Bad Day on All Fronts

After having their playoff hopes ended by the Buffalo Bills, the Oakland Raiders had the rest of their Sunday wrecked by the San Diego Chargers.

Oakland’s seesaw season took another big dip, starting early in the first quarter when the public-address announcer gleefully announced Buffalo had beaten New England in overtime. That officially sealed Oakland’s sixth consecutive year out of the playoffs.

Then the Chargers scored 10 points in the fourth quarter to beat the Raiders, 23-20, with the winning points coming on John Carney’s 37-yard field goal with 8:09 remaining. Carney finished with three field goals and pushed his career total to 1,001 points.

“It was a difficult loss for our team,” Raider Coach Jon Gruden said.

The loss came just a week after the Raiders routed Tampa Bay, 45-0.

The Chargers, eliminated from the playoffs a week earlier, were only too happy to beat their despised rivals, ending a losing streak at four games to the Raiders (7-8).

“To get up for a game late in the season with really nothing to play for, and to perform well, is great,” linebacker Junior Seau said. “It was probably one of our better performances this year.”

Seau, still bothered by a pulled stomach muscle, added his personal touch with an interception and a 16-yard return late in the first half, running wildly and acting a few times like he was going to lateral.

“Whenever I get a return against the Raiders, it’s not going to be a normal return,” said Seau, snubbed in last week’s Pro Bowl voting. “There will be some so-called showboating or whatever. We’re going to have fun with it.”

The interception set up the second of Carney’s three field goals, from 19 yards, for a 13-10 halftime lead.

The Chargers (7-8) overcame some big gaffes to win, including an interception and a botched fake field-goal attempt in the second quarter.

“What a sad thing that was,” Coach Mike Riley said of the fake field-goal try, which was supposed to be a pass from Carney to tight end Freddie Jones. Due to a miscommunication, deep snapper David Binn thought the fake was off, and snapped the ball past Carney. “It would have been a terrible thing to waste a day like this.”

After Carney put the Chargers ahead, the Raiders drove to the San Diego 27, but Joe Nedney pushed a 44-yard field-goal attempt wide left with 3:04 to play.

Charger quarterback Jim Harbaugh completed 23 of 36 passes for 325 yards.