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ALAMEDA, Calif. -- A 30-14 loss to the Minnesota Vikings Sunday served as evidence that as Derek Carr goes, so go the Oakland Raiders. The second-year quarterback threw a pair of critical interceptions and was truly sharp on only a pair of scoring drives as the Raiders lost their second straight game to drop to 4-5.
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A Raiders offense that put up 106 points in their previous three games (including a 38-35 loss to Pittsburgh) was shut out in the second half.
Safety Charles Woodson thought it was unreasonable to expect the offense to carry the Raiders every week and that the rest of the team must do its part should it have designs on making it to the post-season.
"When you look at what they've done the last few weeks, it's been phenomenal," Woodson said. "At some point, when you have a game like today, when they aren't clicking on all cylinders, then another phase has to make up for it, make a play, do something to help the ballclub win."
Instead, the Raiders were gashed for 263 yards rushing by Minnesota, with Adrian Peterson getting 203 yards on 26 carries. Special teams surrendered a 93-yard kickoff return to Cordarrelle Patterson for a 20-14 Vikings lead moments after the Raiders took the lead for the first time at 14-13.
"Look, they're a good team," Raiders head coach Jack Del Rio said. "They played better. They coached better. They earned it. We have to take our lumps and move on."
The Raiders have back-to-back road games coming up, but the opponents are Detroit and Tennessee, which have won just two games each. Del Rio says not to focus on the records, but the process that is the NFL.
"It's a week-to-week league, and every week is different in how it unfolds," Del Rio said. "Whether it's how you're playing, how they attack you, what they do, what your injuries are ... those aren't excuses, they're just factors that go into every opponent that you break down."
If there was a sense of panic among the Raiders, it was impossible to detect.
"We're definitely in the mix," rookie wide receiver Amari Cooper said. "We just have to get back to the drawing board, practice the right way, and the wins will follow."
Carr, as even-keeled as any second-year quarterback you'll ever see, did not appear to be rattled.
"When you lose, it's hard. You just have to rely on your foundation. You have to rely on what you believe in," Carr said. "This team and everybody believes in one another. I continue to be the same person. You're never going to see me too high or too low in my attitude. I'll be level-headed and keep working. That's all I know how to do."
REPORT CARD VS. VIKINGS
--PASSING OFFENSE: C-minus. Derek Carr completed 29 of 43 passes for 302 yards and two touchdowns, but also had two interceptions -- including one in the end zone when the Raiders could have closed within 23-21 in the final two minutes. An earlier interception was converted into three points for the Vikings. Amari Cooper had five catches for 79 yards, but did most of his damage on a single 38-yard jump-and-catch. The Raiders were really only sharp for two series.
--RUSHING OFFENSE: D-plus. The yards per carry were fine -- the Raiders averaged 4.4 yards on 19 attempts (for 84 yards). Latavius Murray, coming off a concussion, had 48 yards on 12 carries and Jamize Olawale had a career-high five carries for 24 yards. But the Raiders didn't trust that phase of their game enough and either felt incapable or weren't capable of moving consistently enough to stick with it.
--PASS DEFENSE: C. The Vikings did most of their serious damage through the air on the first drive and Minnesota quarterback Teddy Bridgewater was 14 of 22 for 140 yards and a touchdown. The Raiders were fortunate when a wide-open Kyle Rudolph dropped a potential touchdown in the end zone. DJ Hayden got picked on by Bridgewater.
--RUN DEFENSE: F. The Raiders surrendered 263 yards rushing, the most since Tampa Bay got 278 against Oakland in 2012. Adrian Peterson gained 203 yards on 26 carries, and broke loose in a big way in the fourth quarter with 137 yards on 10 carries including an 80-yard scoring run that put the game away. Peterson, after a slow start, consistently was sprung to the second level as the Raiders failed to fit their defense.
SPECIAL TEAMS: D-minus. The game ultimately swung on a poorly executed 93-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Cordarrelle Patterson against a coverage unit that had been excellent all season. What was planned as a squib kick instead reached the most dangerous return man on the team. The Raiders had worked to go ahead 14-13, only to give the points right back. The Raiders did little throughout the day to swing the course of field position, either through punting or on returns, other than a 37-yard kick return by Taiwan Jones.
--COACHING: D. The Raiders were not sharp to start the game, looking lost early on in a way they hadn't since a blowout loss to Cincinnati in Week 1. Defensively, the Raiders weren't prepared for the jet sweeps from Minnesota receivers as Minnesota offensive coordinator Norv Turner seemed a step ahead of Ken Norton Jr. and head coach Jack Del Rio all day. Offensively, the Raiders ran the ball only 19 times (for 84 yards) against a Minnesota defense that played a lot of two-deep safeties, leaving seven in the box and in theory giving the Raiders a chance to run.
