Despite disappointing loss, Raiders’ future is bright

Recommended Video:

Jack Del Rio took a very long time to come to the postgame podium. And though he spoke with control, his face betrayed his emotions.

This is a man who does not like to lose. But the Raiders lost Sunday, 30-20 to the Green Bay Packers.

The loss eliminates them from playoff contention.

“It hurts my heart,” quarterback Derek Carr said.

And the loss guarantees that once again, for the 13th straight season, the Raiders will not have a winning record. The best they can finish is 8-8.

“We didn’t really talk a whole lot about that,” Del Rio said of his postgame message to the team. “Other than to refer to the short week ahead.”

The Raiders, who play again Thursday, know that despite the progress and promise of 2015, they fell short. They had several chances, particularly at home, but they couldn’t close out games.

“This season was not a success at all,” running back Latavius Murray said. “We wanted to win the division. That was our goal. We wanted to play in the postseason. So, no, it was not a success.

Oakland Raiders players including defensive end Khalil Mack (52) watch from the bench during the closing minutes of a 30-20 loss to the Green Bay Packers in an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 20, 2015, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Ryan Kang) less Oakland Raiders players including defensive end Khalil Mack (52) watch from the bench during the closing minutes of a 30-20 loss to the Green Bay Packers in an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 20, 2015, in ... more Photo: Ryan Kang, Associated Press Photo: Ryan Kang, Associated Press Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Despite disappointing loss, Raiders’ future is bright 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

“It’s disappointing. We’re not satisfied.”

But an older, wiser teammate can see the silver lining.

“There’s no success without a Super Bowl, but progress has been made,” said safety Charles Woodson said. “We have great leadership under Jack. The future is bright.”

The Raiders have proven themselves far more mentally tough than they have been in the past. For the second straight Sunday, they overcame a lousy start to get themselves back in the game.

Carr threw two interceptions in the first quarter and the Packers turned both into touchdowns, one of them a pick-six. After 10 minutes, Green Bay led 14-0 and chants of “Go, Pack, Go” rocked the Coliseum.

But by halftime, the Raiders had cut their deficit to a point, on two field goals and a beautiful touchdown from Carr to Amari Cooper.

The previous Sunday, the Raiders had overcome a disastrous start in Denver, down 12-0 at the half, to win. This is a new resiliency that hasn’t been the trademark of past Oakland teams.

There are still Raiders traits that plague this team. On Sunday, they committed key pass-interference penalties that led to Green Bay scores. And even when the Raiders were able to rally to take the lead, on a second Carr-to-Cooper connection, they made too many mistakes, allowing the Packers to come back.

“We need to finish,” Murray said. “We need to find a way to win. We have a lot of talent. We have all the ability in the world. But it doesn’t mean anything when you don’t go out and win games.

“We want to finish out the season right.”

That would mean winning on Christmas Eve against the Chargers in what could be the Raiders’ last game in Oakland. Stop me if you’ve heard that one before, but certainly that’s what Thursday’s game is being billed as — a matchup against the team with which they hope to share a stadium in Southern California next season.

“I’m not ready to go there,” Woodson said. “I’m not sure where that’s going.”

Nobody knows, and it seems far more likely that the Raiders still will be playing in Oakland deep into the Trump administration than that they will be playing in the Los Angeles area next season.

The Raiders have not had a home-field advantage this year. In fact, their worst games have come at the Coliseum: the throttling by the Bengals to open the season, the beatdown by the Vikings and the come-from-ahead loss to the Chiefs.

And a strong effort but what was ultimately a loss to Green Bay.

“We understand we weren’t good enough to beat the Packers in today’s game,” Del Rio said. “We put ourselves in position, had some chances, but they made more plays than we did.

“They did a better job. Coach Mike McCarthy did a better job than Jack Del Rio did with his team. That’s just how it is.”

It’s hard for Del Rio to say that. He has a lot of pride and a lot of swagger. He has made a huge imprint on this team, and you could see from his postgame demeanor how dejected he was — both about the loss to the Packers and the loss of any chance at the playoffs.

It’s not what he wanted. It can’t be deemed a success. But Season 1 of the Del Rio experiment meant progress. And promise.

Woodson, the old sage in the No. 24 jersey, is right: The future is bright for the Raiders.

Ann Killion is a San Francisco Chronicle columnist. E-mail: akillion@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @annkillion