Condo laments letting ‘team down’
The long snapper takes the blame for botched PAT
Raiders longsnapper Jon Condo was pointing the finger squarely at himself after a high snap led to a missed extra-point attempt by Giorgio Tavecchio that ended up being the margin of victory for the Chargers.
It came with 7:51 to play after a 47-yard run by Cordarrelle Patterson. Holder Marquette King got the ball down, but it affected the timing process and Tavecchio’s kick went wide left.
“I had a bad snap,” Condo said. “Marquette did a good job getting it down and Giorgio did the best that he could to get it through. I let the team down. The team practices all week to go out there and do their job. I had my opportunity to go out and there and do my job and I didn’t come through.”
It was Tavecchio’s first missed extra point of the season.
•Patterson’s 47-yard touchdown run was the sixth rushing touchdown of his career and second of the season — he had a 43yard touchdown run on an inside rush against the Jets in Week 2.
The touchdown against the Chargers came on a fly sweep, with Patterson sweeping left, finding a lane and cutting it up the middle for an easy touchdown.
“I’m a playmaker, man,” Patterson said. “That’s something I do. Every time I get the ball in my hands I feel I’m going to score. No matter whenever I touch the ball, that’s the mentality I have. I was just born with it. Every time I get the ball, I try to make a play for my team.”
• Cornerback Dexter McDonald work as the third cornerback along with starters David Amerson and TJ Carrie. Struggling Sean Smith was active but remained on the bench.
Late in the third quarter, with the Raiders clinging to a 10-7 lead, McDonald let wide receiver Tyrell Williams get by him for a first down but forced a fumble from behind which was recovered by Amerson.
“The guy got ahead of me, I just had to finish the play,” McDonald said. “That’s what I tried to do and fortunately I got the fumble out of there.”
With Chicago and Miami getting interceptions Sunday, the Raiders have the unwanted distinction of being the only team in the NFL without an interception.
• The Raiders failed to take advantage of the field position created by McDonald’s forced fumble when they failed to convert a fourth-and-2 at the Chargers’ 41-yard line when Derek Carr threw incomplete to Michael Crabtree short of the stake.
Del Rio said the decision was based on “the opportunity to possess the ball and win. Didn’t want to give up those 20 yards or net 20. Gave us an opportunity. We came up short. Any time they don’t work, then I talk about them up here. When they do, we don’t talk about them as much. I understand.”
• Wide receiver Amari Cooper, who had four catches for 28 yards in his past three games, had five catches against the Chargers — but for only 28 yards.
• Marshawn Lynch had seven rushes for 37 yards at the end of the first quarter but finished with 63 yards on 13 carries.
• Oakland entered Sunday 26th in the league in third-down offense, converting only 35.6 percent of their tries. On Sunday, the Raiders went 6 for 12 on third downs.
• Marquette King had a standout day, for what it’s worth. His four punts averaged 56.5 yards. All of them pinned the Chargers inside the 20-yard line.