National Football League

Poole: Raiders waste opportunity to make a statement

Published Oct. 18, 2010 10:12 a.m. ET

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They understood the stakes, discussed them throughout the week.

To win this game, to beat the 49ers, would provide a measure of validation for a Raiders team trying to dissociate itself from the failures of seasons past.

With a victory, these Raiders, who last week beat San Diego, would wear the mythical state crown. They would be at .500 after six or more games for the first time since 2002. They would position themselves close enough to the top of the AFC West that a win next Sunday in Denver might vault them into first place in the division.

And they would -- this is a notable psychological barrier -- win consecutive games for the first time since 2008.

All those rosy possibilities were blown up by a 17-9 loss at Candlestick Park on Sunday that featured an abysmal offensive performance and several devastating defensive plays for which the Raiders didn't bother to formulate any excuses.

The familiarity of it all, of being in a game for most of its duration, only to walk away defeated, seemed to tear at them. Wide receiver Louis Murphy stared into his locker for a few minutes before rising to sling towels and talk out loud to no one in particular. Defensive tackle Tommy Kelly sat frozen, with a towel draped over his face. Coach Tom Cable was terse and annoyed, unable to hide his contempt for what he had witnessed.

"The tale of this game is not taking advantage of the opportunities," defensive tackle Richard Seymour said in a corner of the cramped visiting locker room. "Everybody's involved in it. I'm involved. No one's exempt."

With the possible exception of punter Shane Lechler, who averaged 53.5 yards on six kicks, Seymour's sweeping, stinging summary is on point.

Quarterback Jason Campbell submitted the worst statistical game of his six-year career, completing 8 of 21, for 83 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions. After the Raiders opened with two encouraging drives that ended with field goals, Campbell was atrocious. He missed high and low, far and wide.

Campbell finished with a single-game rating of 10.7, far below his previous nadir of 42.9, set last month against St. Louis. This is from a guy whose career rating is 82.0.

It was the kind of performance that will have Raiders fans wishing for the quick healing of starter Bruce Gradkowski's sprained shoulder. It also was the kind of game after which Campbell could have distinguished himself by heaping blame upon the guy he sees in the mirror, which he did.

Well, sort of.

"It just felt like it was a slugfest," he said. "But at the same time, you've got to make some plays. I've got to make some plays and try to get ourselves in rhythm. But we just couldn't get in a rhythm in the second half."

The offense finished with three field goals, 179 total yards (the Niners presented them 143 more in penalties). The run game, aside from an early 43-yard reverse by Murphy, totaled 67 yards. The impotence of the passing game is further illustrated by four wideouts combining for four catches, good for 23 yards.

Asked to explain the missed opportunities on offense, Campbell said: "I don't know. We just have to execute better and stay on top of our assignments."

Sound familiar? Poor execution and blown assignments have been ongoing problems that don't get solved, no matter how many changes are made in the coaching staff or the personnel. If it doesn't destroy the offense, it kills the defense.

If it doesn't happen this week, wait until next week.

That's why it's so difficult for this team to get out of its own way. The past three weeks have delivered 1) a loss in which the defense couldn't stop the run, 2) a win in which it couldn't stop the pass and 3) Sunday's loss in which the offense was downright sickly and the defense cracked at crucial times.

"I'm very disappointed," Cable said. "Too many opportunities to win a game and we didn't get it done."

Thus, the quest for back-to-back victories dies another painful death.

"We didn't even make a big deal of it this year," cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha said. "So it's not like we pounded, not one of those situations where you're harping on something, and that makes you blow it. The thing we talked about was winning another game -- owning California after two weeks -- and it couldn't happen."

Among the true signs of growth within an NFL team are its impressive response to challenges, the timeliness of its corrective actions and in everyone being consistently accountable.

As bad as Campbell was on this day, these Raiders are more than a quarterback away.

Contact Monte Poole at mpoole@bayareanewsgroup.com ..