Vegas improves its odds
CLEVELAND — The Raiders didn’t appreciate the NFL postponing their trip. They made sure their postseason chances weren’t canceled, as well.
Daniel Carlson’s 48-yard field goal as time expired sent Las Vegas to a 16-14 victory against the short-handed Browns in a game pushed back two days by the NFL amid an uptick of virus cases.
Down by a point, quarterback Derek Carr patiently drove the Raiders (7-7) into Browns territory in the final two minutes.
Then Carlson shrugged off being iced by the Browns to boot his winner, keeping Las Vegas in the playoff mix. The Raiders had been upset with the league’s decision to delay the game from Saturday until Monday, with owner Mark Davis saying the delay was a “competitive disadvantage” for his team.
“It’s been a long time coming to win a game like that in the end,” said Raiders interim coach Rich Bisaccia, who has led the team through a turbulent season. “We understand the situation we’re in and what the playoff race looks like.”
The loss was devastating for the Browns (7-7), who would have vaulted into first place in the AFC North with a win. Instead, they fell into last place in the tight division.
The Browns were without quarterback Baker Mayfield, top receiver Jarvis Landry, edge rusher Jadeveon Clowney and coach Kevin Stefanski, among others.
“That locker room right now is hurting,” acting Browns coach Mike Priefer said. “That’s the most I’ve seen it in that kind of pain. But when you lose that type of game, that was tough.”
Browns third-string quarterback Nick Mullens had brought the Browns back from a 10-0 deficit in the third quarter and given them a 14-13 lead by throwing a six-yard touchdown pass on fourth down to Harrison Bryant with 3:45 left.
And after Greedy Williams intercepted Carr, it appeared the Browns had the game in hand. But they couldn’t come up with a first down and gave the ball back to Carr with 1:50 left.
“After that interception, I told the guys ‘Please, I promise we’ll win it, just get the ball back,’ ” Carr said.
He then led a 51-yard drive, completing two long passes to Zay Jones to set up Carlson’s kick that kicked new life into the team.
Carr understood why his teammates were so upset with the league’s decision to move the game.
“I wanted to play because I have a routine,” Carr said. “But life’s going to throw us curveballs.”