Carson Palmer completed 32 of 46 passes for 297 yards and no interceptions, but his lone scoring pass came with 54 seconds to go, and the Raiders finished only 5 for 15 on third-down conversions. Running back Darren McFadden was targeted 18 times and had 13 receptions. Lots of stats, not enough points. Grade: C+

The reintroduction of the zone blocking scheme had a poor debut as the Raiders gained just 45 yards on 20 carries -- and that doesn't include a 25-yard loss on a mishandled reverse. McFadden averaged 2.1 yards per carry (15 carries, 32 yards) with a long gain of 8 yards. Grade: F

The downhill defense the Raiders worked on throughout training camp brought no turnovers from the secondary, and quarterback Philip Rivers was 24 of 33 for 231 yards and a touchdown. But the Raiders consistently forced Rivers into red-zone incompletions with the exception of a 6-yard touchdown pass to Malcom Floyd. Grade: C+

The stout front seven that excelled throughout the preseason and in training camp was no mirage in the opener against a Chargers team playing without starting running back Ryan Mathews. San Diego had just 32 yards on 20 carries. Take away an 11-yard reverse from Eddie Royal and it was

Losing long-snapper Jon Condo to a concussion precipitated a national embarrassment as backup Travis Goethel rolled two snaps to Shane Lechler for losses with a third punt attempt getting blocked by Dante Rosario. It contributed to three field goals in a game the Raiders lost by eight points. Grade: F

Hard to quibble with getting your best player (McFadden) 28 touches, although that could be detrimental in the long term. Defensively, there wasn't as much pressure as advertised, but the Raiders did well enough defensively to win the game. The big mistake in a profession where coaches think of everything was not having a backup long-snapper prepared. Grade: C

-- JERRY MCDONALD