The Raiders celebrated Christmas Day by taking on the Eagles in Philadelphia just a day after being mathematically eliminated from the playoffs after Kansas City beat the Miami Dolphins.
Facing frigid temperatures and tough winds to navigate, scoring became difficult for both offenses.
Offensive coordinator Todd Downing looked to get the Raiders offensive unit in rhythm early with his veteran running back Marshawn Lynch. Lynch took the ball on the first drive but fumbled it away for the first time this season.
Quarterback Nick Foles, who has taken over for Carson Wentz after he tore his ACL, took advantage of the short field by finding running back Jay Ajayi on a screen play for a 17-yard touchdown on a screen pass.
Amari Cooper went over the 1,000-yard mark his first two seasons but has struggled for much of this year, while also dealing with injuries. Cooper has been battling an ankle injury this week but was able to make it on to the field and came up in a big way in the second quarter. As we have seen before, Cooper beat his defender with a double move and broke free for a 63-yard touchdown reception to tie the game. It was just Cooper’s fifth touchdown on the season.
The Raiders would find their first lead of the game after halftime when they put together an eight-play, 69-yard drive that culminated in a 25-yard field goal to put the Raiders up 10-7.
Defensive coordinator John Pagano took over the play-calling duties after week 10 when Ken Norton Jr. was fired. In their first 10 games under Norton, the Raiders defense had just four defensive takeaways but have now had eight in their last five games including Monday night.
Safety Reggie Nelson was the latest Raider to come up with a big interception after Foles threw a pass to tight end Zach Ertz that went through his hands. The key turnover came after kicker Giorgio Tavecchio missed a field goal that would have given the Raiders the lead.
But the Raiders just couldn’t hold on to the ball themselves. Backup running back Jalen Richard took a carry up the middle but fumbled the ball away, giving the ball back to the Eagles.
With the Raiders offense continuing to struggle, it was Pagano’s defense that kept the Raiders in the game. But much like the rest of the season, the defense couldn’t hold forever with the offense unable to put points on the board.
Looking to take the lead in the final minutes of the game, Carr looked for Cooper on a slant but was intercepted by the cornerback instead.
With just 44 seconds on the clock, Foles used six plays to go just 21 yards but got his team into field goal range. Jake Elliot calmly kicked through the 48-yard field goal to take the 13-10 lead with just over 20 seconds left on the clock.
Carr and the Raiders would not be able to find any late-game magic on the ensuing drive, relying on one last-ditch attempt. After a few laterals, the Eagles defense picked up the ball and took it into the end zone to run up the score.
The loss dropped the Raiders to a disappointing 6-9 record, with just one game remaining on the schedule. The Raiders will travel to Los Angeles next week to take on the Chargers.
