Daniel Carlson has become dependable weapon for Raiders

Maybe it’s nothing, maybe it’s everything. But the two wins the Raiders achieved over their past seven games have come down to walk-off field goals by Daniel Carlson.

In each instance, the steely-eyed kicker completely ignored attempts by the Dallas Cowboys and Cleveland Browns to distract him by calling timeouts just as he lined up to kick.

That includes the Browns trying to ice him so close to the start of a play, Carlson boomed a 48-yard attempt good only to have to do it all over again thanks to the last-second timeout.

No worries, his second attempt was even more decisive and true than the first.

All of which goes back to the levelheaded approach he takes on the sideline, which includes conferring with his holder and Raiders punter AJ Cole while the offense moves into field goal range. The message being, it’s just another kick.

“There is nothing that really needs to be said, there’s no point in making one kick to be more or less than it is,” said Cole. “And I think Daniel has done such a good job keeping every kick the same. I think that’s why he’s been able to be so successful in those moments.”

The Raiders have come to expect it from Carlson, who has emerged as one of the best kickers in the NFL and is a player his teammates have come to count on and believe in.

“He is money,” Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby said.

Added quarterback Derek Carr: “He makes them. He’s proven it over and over again.”

That is an understatement.

Carlson has connected on 91.2 percent of his field-goal attempts this season, making good on 31 of his 34 kicks. That is the fifth-best mark in the NFL among kickers who have 23 or more attempts.

His five kicks of 50 or more yards, on six attempts, is tied for the fourth most from that distance.

Meanwhile, he has kicked three game-winning field goals for the 7-7 Raiders. They aren’t alive in the playoff chase without their third-year kicker.

That’s a point well recognized by the Raiders, who rewarded Carlson with a four-year, $18.4 million contract two weeks ago that will keep him in Las Vegas for the foreseeable future.

All of which makes life so much easier in crunch-time situations for Carr. His confidence in Carlson means he only needs to get the offense to a certain point on the field on late-game drives, knowing Carlson can take it from there.

“I always think around the 35,” Carr said. “If it’s a little bit farther than that, I still think he can make it, obviously. He shows it all the time.”

Interestingly, two of Carlson’s game-winners have come on the road at rowdy stadiums where opposing fans do everything they can to throw him off.

But as the fans in Dallas and Cleveland have learned, Carlson has a way of tuning them out.

“It kind of goes dead when you get in the zone,” Carlson said. “You have to turn it into background noise. Obviously, when I am on the sidelines and people are yelling at me, it is always fun.

”I am not very good at multitasking — just ask my wife. If I am on my phone, I am not going to hear her yell at me either. Maybe that is a good thing.”

All of which is a blessing for the Raiders, who can comfortably go into every game knowing they have an edge with their sure-footed kicker.

The Raiders were the fortunate beneficiaries of a hasty decision the Minnesota Vikings made when, in 2018 after trading up in the fifth round to draft Carlson, they lost faith in him just two games into his rookie year.

In a move Vikings coach Mike Zimmer admittedly regrets to this day, he cut Carlson after he missed three field goals in his second NFL game.

The Raiders picked up Carlson soon after, and in the three years since he has developed into an indispensable piece of the puzzle.

Contact Vincent Bonsignore at vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com. Follow @VinnyBonsignore on Twitter.