PHILADELPHIA -- The Raiders gave away a game on Christmas night.
With five turnovers in the second half, the Raiders wasted a stout defensive effort against the third-ranked offense in the NFL and fell 19-10 to the Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field.
A 48-yard field goal by Philadelphia’s Jake Elliott with 22 seconds left broke a 10-10 tie, and the Eagles tacked on by returning a fumble for a touchdown on the final play of regulation.
The Raiders’ defense held the Eagles to 216 total yards and forced two turnovers of their own. But it went for naught as the Raiders were ensured a losing record in a season that began with Super Bowl aspirations.
Derek Carr completed 15 of 29 passes with two interceptions, the second disastrous. After the Raiders got the ball back with 1:07 remaining and the game still tied, Carr threw a pass for Amari Cooper that was picked off by Ronald Darby, setting up Elliott’s game-winning field goal.
The Raiders also committed three fumbles after halftime, including one by running back Marshawn Lynch one play after the defense had intercepted Eagles quarterback Nick Foles.
Before the disappointment, there were positive developments for the Raiders.
First, the defense continued to show improvement under John Pagano. Eagles backup quarterback Nick Foles, who had four touchdown passes last weekend against the Giants, was far less comfortable against the Raiders, who had two sacks and held the Eagles to a 1-for-13 mark on third down.
The Eagles did convert two fourth-down attempts, including one in the first quarter that led to the game’s first touchdown, a 17-yard screen pass from Foles to running back Jay Ajayi.
Second, Cooper returned from an ankle injury that has sidelined him for most of the last month and showed glimpses of his past explosiveness.
Cooper was targeted for the first time at the 12:46 mark of the second quarter. Lined up wide right, Cooper ran a slant-and-go that fooled cornerback Jalen Mills and created separation for Cooper, who hauled in Carr’s pass for a 63-yard touchdown.
It was Cooper’s first catch since Nov. 26, when he suffered an ankle injury and concussion on the same play. Later in the half, Cooper leapt over three defenders to catch an arcing pass from Carr - a potential 40-plus-yard gain that was negated by a holding call on guard Gabe Jackson.
Finally, the Raiders, using more heavy sets with two or three tight ends than they typically have under offensive coordinator Todd Downing, gained 137 rushing yards against the top rushing defense in the league. The Eagles came in allowing 71.5 yards per game on the ground.
The Raiders escaped the first half tied 7-7 after Elliott missed a 33-yard field goal try, and took a 10-7 lead early in the third on a 25-yard field goal by Giorgio Tavecchio.
The third quarter also saw a bizarre sequence of three turnovers in four plays. After Carr threw his 11th interception of the season, the Raiders’ defense got the ball back on a forced fumble. But Lynch committed his first fumble since 2014 on the very next play, giving the Eagles the ball on Oakland’s 30-yard line and leading to a 35-yard field goal by Elliott that tied the game 10-10.
Tavecchio missed a 48-yard try with 8:03 left in the fourth. Raiders safety Reggie Nelson intercepted a tipped Foles pass on the next play, atoning for a dropped interception earlier in the game. But the offense gave the ball back once again, with Jalen Richard fumbling at the 16-yard line of the Eagles.
Matt Kawahara is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mkawahara@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @matthewkawahara