Raiders win away from hard-to-believe late run to playoffs
INDIANAPOLIS — It didn’t much matter to Derek Carr whether people were actually listening when he continually insisted this version of the Raiders was different than its predecessors over the last few years.
The woeful recent history of the franchise he quarterbacks meant validation would only arrive through action, not words.
Official confirmation is still pending. But the events that unfolded on Sunday that guided the Raiders to an exhilarating 23-20 win over the Indianapolis Colts is as compelling evidence as any that Carr might be onto something.
“No matter how we have to do it, we’re finding a way to do it,” Carr said. “Because we have the right kind of guys.”
Playing on the road in a loud venue against a playoff-worthy team in a must-win situation, the Raiders (9-7) survived a roller-coaster ride to win their third straight game. By the time Daniel Carlson capped off the 29th game-winning drive of Carr’s career with a 33-yard field goal as time expired, the Raiders found themselves one game away from their first playoff appearance since 2016.
A win next week over the Los Angeles Chargers will make it official.
The position they have fought their way into almost defies explanation given all the trials and tribulations the Raiders have gone through this year. That includes the touch-and-go week they just survived in which a good chunk of their defense was in COVID-19 protocol and didn’t get official clearance to play until a few hours before kickoff.
Yet there they were on Sunday, many of them gasping for air as they fought through conditioning issues, making all the necessary plays to make sure the Raiders returned home to Las Vegas with control of their postseason hopes.
“As far as cardio and endurance, it was tough for me today,” admitted linebacker Denzel Perryman, whose seven tackles played a big role in making sure Colts running back Jonathan Taylor didn’t run all over the Raiders. “I came out a couple of times, I really couldn’t breathe.”
It didn’t deter him from providing the Raiders exactly what they needed.
“Regardless of the ups and downs, the ebbs and flows during the game, I think you could see the energy from all the players,” Raiders interim head coach Rich Bisaccia said. “Whether it was the offensive side or defensive side, just pulling for their brothers in there and never took a step back the entire game.”
That represents a seismic change from previous seasons when, frankly, the Raiders were incapable of standing up to the difficulty of late-season NFL football.
They stood up on Sunday, surviving the damage of another late first-half stumble that gifted the Colts’ fresh life and a pair of interceptions by Carr to overcome a 17-13 lead Indianapolis took into the fourth quarter.
That comeback included a gutsy decision by Bisaccia to go for it on fourth-and-two from the Colts 11-yard line — leading to Carr’s go-ahead touchdown throw to Hunter Renfrow to make it 20-17 — a critical stop by the defense to limit the Colts to a game-tying field goal with just under two minutes left. And finally, the 10-play, 60-yard drive orchestrated by Carr in which his off-schedule throw to Renfrow on third-and-10 pushed the Raiders into field goal position for Carlson’s game-winner.
“Two years ago, who knows if we would have won this game,” said Renfrow, who finished with seven catches for 76 yards to secure the first 1,000-yard season of his career.
The progress that represents can’t be understated.
“I think it’s very important,” said Zay Jones, who finished with eight catches for 120 yards. “Just building the foundation of what was started in years past and to see it come to fruition, where we’re at now.”
The job isn’t finished, of course. The biggest game in recent franchise history looms next weekend in Las Vegas. But despite it all, the Raiders have fought for their right to control their own destiny in the last regular-season game of the year.
Contact Vincent Bonsignore at vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com. Follow @VinnyBonsignore on Twitter.
