Oakland snaps losing streak in night full of drama on and off field
One Raiders official walked out of the locker room afterward and mumbled, “We don’t make it easy.” Safety Karl Joseph marveled at the final, frenetic seconds, saying he had never been part of a football game like that in his life.
On a crazy and tumultuous night at the Coliseum, the Raiders somehow found a way to end their four-game losing streak — and they might have saved their season in the process.
Derek Carr’s 2-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Michael Crabtree with no time on the clock — after two apparent touchdowns were wiped out — lifted the Raiders to an improbable 31-30 victory over Kansas City on Thursday night.
Giorgio Tavecchio made the extra point after Crabtree’s touchdown, giving Oakland a win it desperately needed. The Raiders (3-4) hadn’t won since Sept. 17, or 32 long days earlier.
They won despite running back Marshawn Lynch’s second-quarter ejection for making contact with an official. They won despite a heated sideline exchange between offensive tackle Donald Penn and wide receiver Michael Crabtree.
And they won despite Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith throwing for 342 yards and three touchdowns.
But, finally, the Raiders won again.
“The excitement of being in a game like that, I can’t get enough of it,” head coach Jack Del Rio said. “You appreciate those moments. Super exciting.
“We needed the win and we got it. Obviously, tonight was huge.”
Oakland, trailing 30-24, took over at its own 15-yard line with 2:25 remaining. The much-maligned offense quickly started moving behind Carr and wide receiver Amari Cooper.
Carr kept the drive alive with a 4th-and-11 completion to tight end Jared Cook at the Kansas City 29-yard line. Cook made another big catch for an apparent game-tying touchdown, but officials ruled he was down at the 1-yard line after a video review.
Then a TD pass to Crabtree was nullified by offensive pass interference; an incompletion to Cook was negated by defensive holding; and another incompletion to Cordarrelle Patterson was wiped out by another defensive holding penalty.
Finally, Carr fired a laserbeam pass to Crabtree in the front corner of the end zone to tie the game at 30-30, setting up Tavecchio to push the Raiders over the top.
Carr had a huge night, throwing for 417 yards and three touchdowns. Cooper, emerging from his persistent and mystifying slump, had 11 catches for a career-high 210 yards and two TDs.
Smith, as has become customary in his career, carved up Oakland’s defense. He completed 25 of 36 passes for 342 yards and three touchdowns.
But the Chiefs left town at 5-2, still leading the AFC West but no doubt bemoaning a golden chance to bury the Raiders.
“We didn’t give up,” Crabtree said, in a rare session with reporters. “We have a team full of fighters. No matter how hard the game is, we believe. I’m excited.”
Or, as Joseph said of the final, decisive drive and Carr’s $125 million contract, “You see why DC gets paid that kind of money.”
The Raiders briefly took a 21-20 lead with 10:45 left in the third quarter, when DeAndre Washington bulled his way into the end zone from four yards out. Soon thereafter, the Chiefs moved back ahead 27-21 on a 63-yard touchdown pass from Smith to Albert Wilson — who snagged the ball after it was deflected by Raiders safety Keith McGill.
Kansas City added a Harrison Butker field goal, his third of the night, to stretch the lead to 30-21. And then Tavecchio countered with his own field goal to keep the Raiders within striking distance.
The Raiders trailed 20-14 after a wild first half. Most memorably, Lynch raced into the fray after a 3rd-and-10 play on which Carr strangely tried to run up the middle on a quarterback draw. That was a curious call, given the broken bone in Carr’s back.
But the play turned into its own drama altogether when Chiefs cornerback Marcus Peters — an Oakland native and good friend of Lynch — hit Carr late. That drew a penalty for unnecessary roughness and the immediate wrath of several large, menacing Raiders offensive linemen.
As Penn and Kelechi Osemele confronted Peters, Lynch came dashing off the sideline. Maybe he was trying to join the scrum, or maybe he was trying to protect his quarterback (or his hometown buddy).
Line judge Julian Mapp was trying to break up the fracas. Lynch grabbed Mapp in his effort to reach Peters, and then he pushed Mapp out of the way. Lynch was penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct and ejected.
As if this wasn’t enough extracurricular theater, Penn and Crabtree scuffled on the sideline in the second quarter. CBS sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson reported that they pushed and shoved each other, until offensive line coach Mike Tice broke up the skirmish.
Not exactly a picture of pride and poise.
“We got in an argument,” Penn said after the game. “I heard TV was saying we had to be separated, but I was sitting on the bench the whole time. We’re good.”
The tension faded into the background after the Raiders completed their remarkable, 85-yard journey to the triumphant touchdown. Oakland’s offense, so stagnant in recent weeks, suddenly leaped to life: The Raiders amassed 505 total yards for the night.
Most importantly, they got the final two they needed to outlast their storied rivals.
“I’ve talked about believing in the offense,” Del Rio said. “I’ve talked about believing in Amari Cooper and what a stud he is. Derek threw for 400 yards. I’m just really excited for those guys, and for the whole locker room.”