Carson Palmer appeared calm and collected in just his second Raiders start Thursday night, and that spelled doom from the beginning for a sinking Chargers team.
"We played horrible today. Our performance wasn't acceptable by any means," Bolts safety Eric Weddletold the North County Times following the Chargers' 24-17 loss. "There was some bad, bad defense out there.
"We got our butts kicked. There's no way around it."
He's not far off in that assessment, as exhibited by running back Michael Bush, whose 100-plus yards rushing and receiving has been achieved by only one other Raider: Marcus Allen.
The Chargers, meanwhile, have done this roller-coaster thing for years under coach Norv Turner.
Start slow, finish strong -- that's how it's gone in the past. This time around, any giddiness around their 4-1 mark to open the season has been dashed by a four-game losing streak in which Philip Rivers has channeled a steady mix of Billy Joe Tolliver and the darkest moments of Tony Romo.
