Opinion: Cardiac Raiders Get Right At Home
The Oakland Raiders did something that the oddsmakers didn’t think they could do. Defeating divisional rivals the Kansas City Chiefs 31-30 in one of the wildest finishes ever in front of a raucous home crowd will stand out forever.
They did so using their ABCs.
A is for Autry, Denico. He registered 3 tackles and half a sack during the game. One of those tackles and the half sack came on the Chiefs last possession, the one that gave us the ball back. Although Autry’s 15 yard penalty for hitting Alex Smith low hurt, he redeemed himself.
B is for the newest Raider, Bowman. Bowman signed with the Raiders on October 16th. He made his presence known by leading the defense with 11 total tackles, 1 tackle for loss and 1 quarterback hit. Wearing the green dot, he directed the defense well.
C is for Carr, Derek, Cooper, Armani, Cook, Jared, and Crabtree, Michael. Cooper, Cook, and Crabtree account for 341 of Carr’s 417 passing yards, with Cooper accounting for 2 td receptions and Crabtree with the game tying score.
From the start of the game, the score went in one team’s favor, then the other’s in this see-saw match. It appeared it would be a tit for tat scoring match until the Chiefs took a 9 point lead late in the third quarter. The Raiders cut into that lead with field goal early in the fourth.
Then, the teams exchanged punts, field position going in favor of the Chiefs. With 4:15 left on the clock, for the third game in a row, Jack Del Rio was counting on the defense to stop the opposition from scoring. This time, this game, they didn’t let their coach down.
The only problem is that the Raiders had only 2:25, 1 timeout, and the two minute warning to go 85 yards, get the touchdown, and hope the pressure of a winning PAT didn’t get to Giorgio Tavecchio. Tavecchio experienced a rough evening, having one field goal attempt blocked, and miss another. To add more pressure, Johnny Holton was called for offensive pass interference, leaving the Raiders with a 2nd and 20 from the 20 yard line and only 1:47 left on the clock. A few plays later, the Raiders faced a 4th and 11. Cook hauled in a pass in for 13 yards, leaving them with 29 yards to go and only 33 seconds to get there.
That’s when the fun started.
There was the touchdown that wasn’t, on what ended up 28.5 yard reception to Cook. That preceded a TD that wasn’t to Crabtree due to offensive PI, and time for only 1 play, two incomplete passes later with back to back defensive holding calls, the clock showing 00:00, Carr connected with Crabtree for an undeniable TD. Tavecchio connected on his PAT.
Maybe this team finally found its swagger. Perhaps they had a meeting of the minds.
All I know is this game ranks up there with the likes of The Holy Roller, Ghost to the Post, and Immaculate Reception, with the victory being ours.
AROUND COVER32
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