Game-winning drives by Carr fueling Raiders
Derek Carr practiced gamewinning drives over and over when he was growing up.
“For like three hours, you would just hear me count down, ‘3, 2, 1,’ and I’d shoot it, or throw the last pass, or catch the last pass,” the Las Vegas quarterback said after leading the Raiders into game-winning field-goal position Sunday in Indianapolis. “I always just loved that moment.
“Maybe I should have practiced some more stuff.”
Perhaps, considering the Raiders are 56-70 with Carr as their starter.
But Carr, an eight-year veteran, does rank second since entering the league in 2014 with 29 game-winning drives. That’s second only to Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (30).
This year, the Raiders have needed all the wins they could get. And they need another Sunday night against the Los Angeles Chargers, likely an all-or-nothing showdown between AFC West rivals.
Sunday’s 23-20 victory over the Colts kept the Raiders’ playoff hopes alive and marked Las Vegas’ fifth last-second victory this season. According to Sportradar, the Raiders are the first team in NFL history to win five games in a season with a score on the final play.
“Whenever we get in those moments, and seeing the confidence on my teammates’ faces, knowing that we can do this, it’s a cool thing for me,” Carr said. “I don’t know why I’m wired that way. I’ve always liked it since I was a little kid.”
“Derek is the one that makes everything go,” Raiders offensive coordinator Greg Olson said. “We tell our guys you’ve got to be able to keep up with the quarterback, and that’s the standard that’s set here in terms of the mental part of the game and understanding the plays and the variety of the plays that are going to get called in those situations.”
“When we’ve had a lot of two-minute situations, when it happens, we don’t feel any extra pressure,” offensive lineman Kolton Miller said. “We’re confident in our ability and you can feel that from DC totally. He’s really one of the best in the league when it comes to that and that reassures us and we’re always up for the challenge.”
The Raiders are hoping to get starting tight end Darren Waller back for the season finale. Interim coach Rich Bisaccia said Waller will be a game-time decision.
Waller hasn’t played since getting injured in the second quarter of a win on Thanksgiving at Dallas. He was set to try to come back last week before testing positive for the coronavirus but now has a chance on Sunday night after being limited in practice all week.
Jaguars face lawsuit: The title sponsor for Jacksonville’s season finale against Indianapolis is suing the Jaguars in hopes of having its name disassociated from the game during which disgruntled fans are planning to dress as clowns to protest team owner Shad Khan’s decision to retain general manager Trent Baalke.
RoofClaim.com, a roofing company based in Georgia that does business in Florida, is seeking to avoid “its brand being emphasized as the primary sponsor of the clown game,” according to a complaint filed in circuit court in Jacksonville.
A Jaguars spokesman called the lawsuit “baseless and without merit,” said Friday that the team “will exhaustively protect our interests in this matter at every turn.”
Watt’s return near? Threetime NFL Defensive Player of the Year J.J. Watt has been designated to return from the injured reserve list by the Cardinals, leaving open the possibility he could boost the team’s defense during the playoffs.
The Cardinals made the move Friday and now have 21 days to elevate Watt to the 53-man roster. He can return to practice immediately. The 32-year-old Watt was initially expected to be out for the season because of a shoulder injury suffered Oct. 24.
Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury wasn’t sure if Watt would be able to contribute in the playoffs, but it’s still a possibility. Watt won’t play in the regular-season finale against the Seahawks on Sunday.
HBCU showcase: An NFLsanctioned combine for players from historically Black colleges and universities will be held Jan. 28-29 at the University of South Alabama in Mobile, Ala.
The combine, in partnership with the Senior Bowl that is played in Mobile, will have 40 players from a variety of HBCU schools. Also involved will be members of the HBCU Development and Women’s Pipeline Initiative, including athletic trainers, equipment managers and video personnel.