ALAMEDA, Calif. — Tony Sparano is a firm believer in the running game and said as much upon being hired as Oakland Raiders’ interim head coach. As head coach of the Miami Dolphins, his teams consistently had a high percent of running plays to passing plays.

With the Raiders, however, Sparano’s team has passed the ball two-thirds of the time. The loss to the Cleveland Browns on Sunday was the most perplexing, given Cleveland’s standing as the 32nd-ranked rushing defense in the NFL.

The Raiders passed the ball 56 times and rushed it 22, getting 71 yards on the ground. Running back Darren McFadden was running well, gaining 59 yards on 14 carries, but a key fumble in the third quarter led to a 16-6 Cleveland lead that meant quarterback Derek Carr and the Raiders had to play catch-up.

“Early in the game 10 of our first 22 plays were runs and we mixed it up pretty well,” Sparano said. “We have not done a good enough job winning some of those battles up front, whether it be the line, tight ends, the running backs. We need to continue to work it and stay committed. Sometimes that’s easier said than done.”

Sparano said the Raiders had “efficient” running plays on 57 percent of their runs, with the standard being a 4-yard gain. He said a decent mark is in the 60 percent range, and that the Browns were loading the box with eight players and at times forcing the Raiders to the air.

“Part of our identity has got to be to run the football, but part of our identity is to get some explosive plays,” Sparano said.

Center Stefen Wisniewski said the Raiders’ lack of consistency led to ditching the running game.

“We started off running well and then stalled a little bit,” Wisniewski said. “Any time you’re stalling in the run game, you’re going to go to some passes. That’s the way it works. Then at the end of the game, we’re down, so we’ve got to throw. That’s kind of the way it goes.”

REPORT CARD VS. BROWNS

PASSING OFFENSE: C-minus – Lots of completions and yards, not enough points. Derek Carr was 34 of 54 for 328 yards but got the Raiders inside the red zone only once. He threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Andre Holmes, but only seven seconds remained in the game. Tight end Mychal Rivera caught seven passes for 83 yards.

RUSHING OFFENSE: D – The Raiders rushed for only 71 yards against the NFL’s 32nd-ranked rush defense. Darren McFadden was the only effective back with 59 yards on 12 carries, a 4.9-yard average. But he also had the game’s biggest mistake, a lost fumble forced by Donte Whitner at the Cleveland 20. Maurice Jones-Drew had eight yards on six carries and Jamize Olawale was stuffed on a third-and-1 rush.

PASS DEFENSE: C – Brian Hoyer became the latest quarterback to post a 100-plus passer rating against the Raiders, going 19 of 29 for 275 yards and a 6-yard touchdown pass to Andrew Hawkins for a 111.5 passer rating. Carlos Rogers dropped a would-be pick six deep in Cleveland territory. On the plus side, third down defense was very good for a change.

RUSH DEFENSE: A-minus – The NFL’s fifth-ranked rushing attack managed just 39 yards on 25 carries, a 1.6 average, with no run longer than seven yards. Ben Tate did have a 5-yard scoring run. Cleveland runners were dropped for losses six times, including two each from Khalil Mack and Sio Moore.

SPECIAL TEAMS: C-minus — Matt Schaub took a deep snap when the Raiders shifted out of place-kick formation and threw an interception on an ill-fated trick play, setting up a Cleveland field goal. The Raiders didn’t excel on returns but neither did the Browns. Marquette King punted seven times for a 44.0 average and a 43.0 net. Sebastian Janikowski converted both of his field-goal attempts, from 46 and 38 yards.

COACHING: D-plus – The fake with the field goal team backfired. So did a trick play out of the Wildcat, with McFadden throwing incomplete to Carr. The Raiders went pass-happy against a team with a solid secondary even though the Browns were ranked 32nd against the run. The Raiders were dramatically improved on third down as Cleveland was 2-for-12.