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By the Numbers: Raiders' stars continue to excel despite losing skid

Looking back at the Las Vegas Raiders' 31-14 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, it wasn't the best, nor the worst the team has looked this season.

The old adage remains that there are no moral victories in defeat, but that doesn't erase some of the good things the Raiders accomplished on both sides of the ball.

However, with the good comes the bad, as the team is still vying for ways to end their now six-game losing streak.

These numbers and statistics show both the silver linings and struggles from the Raiders' Week 13 loss to the Chargers.

42.4

Per Next Gen Stats, Geno Smith's touchdown pass to Brock Bowers in the fourth quarter had a 42.4 percent completion probability.

And quite honestly, that still seems too high considering how Bowers made the catch.

A few plays prior, Bowers had caught another impressive touchdown on a fade route in the end zone that was overturned since the Chargers had called a timeout before the ball was snapped. The tight end lined up in the exact same spot for the same play, making an even more impressive catch that the one that didn't count.

Bowers, with Cam Hart in coverage, stretched out his non-dominate hand and scooped it in with full possession.

"I don't really think out there," the tight end said postgame of the catch. "I just kind of see the ball coming and I just do whatever I can to catch it. That's kind of my mindset. I feel like if I start over-thinking, then my game's not going to be as good."

It was Bowers' fifth touchdown catch this season, already tying the amount he had in his rookie campaign. And despite missing three game this season, he leads the Raiders in receptions (49) and receiving yards (573), and is tied with Tre Tucker in receiving touchdowns.

2

The exceptional play that Bowers is showcasing offensively, Maxx Crosby is replicating on the defensive side of the ball.

Crosby recorded two sacks and four tackles for loss against the Chargers, continuing an impressive run he's been on since the start of November.

Since Week 9, the four-time Pro Bowl pass rusher has recorded four sacks, eight quarterback hits and 13 tackles for loss. As he leads the Raiders in sacks and tackles for loss, he's second in the league in the latter category.

It was the third time Crosby has had multiple sacks against Justin Herbert in a single game, while his eight sacks on the Chargers quarterback are his most against any quarterback in his career.

"He's a phenomenal player," Pete Carroll said of Crosby. "I mean, his consistency, the sacks he gets, the tackles for losses. He's playing as good as anybody can play, and that's not a surprise. You guys have been around a long time watching him. He continues to play at an extremely high level and produce and lead and send the right message and stand for what it takes to play great football."

4

It's hard to find silver linings when the Raiders offense only scored 14 points – their sixth time scoring that amount or less in 2025.

However, it can be argued that Smith played one of his better games in Week 13. His 78.3 completion percentage is his highest this season, and marked his fourth game in 2025 reaching 70 percent completion. It was also his fourth time this season throwing multiple touchdown passes in a game.

Nevertheless, Smith continues to take responsibility for lack of execution within the offense.

"I think we all have to be more consistent," he said. "It starts with me. I've got to be a lot more consistent and do better for the guys. I've got to find a way to put up more points, help our defense out, give us leads so those guys can play with a lead."

5

With the Raiders quarterback on a rollercoaster with on-field production, his protection has been an contributing factor.

The Silver and Black shuffled through offensive linemen over the last few weeks. Jordan Meredith suffered an ankle injury against the Cleveland Browns in Week 12, which forced him to miss Sunday's game against the Chargers. Atonio Mafi and rookie Caleb Rogers split reps at right guard in Week 13 with Alex Cappa sliding over to center. According to Carroll, the two will continue to compete for the starting job until Meredith returns from injury.

Smith was sacked five times in SoFi Stadium, bring his total sacks in the last four games to 25. As on Monday morning, he's the second-most sacked quarterback in the NFL.

"We're getting hit way too much," Carroll said, "and Geno had threw a pretty good game, as far as the throwing part of it, but we're getting hit too much, and we're having trouble keeping people from getting in the backfield, particularly in the dropback game. And so, we have to shore that up. We did some things to help us in protection, but it didn't help us enough. So, we just got to get better."

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18

Defensively, the glaring issue was tackling.

The Raiders totaled 18 missed tackles against the Chargers, according to Next Gen Stats. This resulted in the Chargers out-gaining Las Vegas in total yardage 341-156. Additionally, Los Angeles rushed for 192 yards, the second-most yardage the Raiders have allowed on the ground this season. This has been a reoccurring issue for the Silver and Black, which ranks fourth in the league in missed tackles.

"We work on it really hard with a lot of emphasis," Carroll said, acknowledging the tackling issue. "We make a big deal about it. We have a whole style. ... And we just have to come through and finish technique strong and do it right and take advantage of all of the work. So, it's kind of been spread out. A number of guys have been on the perimeter a lot, and we don't make the plays right off the bat. And so, now guys get into more vulnerable positions, but we have ways to teach that.

"We teach it and we drill the heck out of it. So, we just got to do it better."

View the best photos from the Raiders' Week 13 matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium.

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