The Oakland Raiders emerged victorious on Sunday, with a hard-fought, comeback victory against the Baltimore Ravens. The Raiders collected their first franchise victory at M&T Bank Stadium in their 28-27 victory. Quarterback Derek Carr led the way, with another game-winning drive to cap off the win.
The Raiders find themselves at 3-1, with three road victories thus far into the season. Head coach Jack Del Rio, along with defense, has held strong and seem motivated to prove their worth in the AFC.
The Ravens took a 27-21 lead with just under four minutes remaining. Carr, who has proven his clutch gene, took the ball once again. The team drove down the field, getting consecutive first downs on passes from Carr.
The Raiders got just outside of the red zone, but were operating rather quickly. With not much time gone off the clock, Carr delivered a 23-yard dime to Michael Crabtree at the brink of the end zone.
Crabtree, who collected three touchdowns on Sunday, proved to be Carr’s go-to receiver. While the Raiders were unable to capture their only game at the Coliseum this season, the third-year player has shown resiliency.
For the game, Carr connected on 25 of 35 passes, for 199 yards and a career-high four touchdowns. Many football aficionados will dissect the Raiders, but respect needs to be given out accordingly.
Colin Cowherd, host of ‘The Herd with Colin Cowherd‘ provided some insight on Carr, giving him the ultimate compliment:
"Derek Carr of the @RAIDERS, that's what a franchise quarterback looks like." – @ColinCowherd https://t.co/dqIoWdsT2l
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) October 3, 2016
Carr has demonstrated an ability to produce on big stages, referring to the ‘mamba mentality’ he has learned from basketball legend Kobe Bryant.
The California native has collected six game-winning drives the past two seasons, which leads the National Football League.
In four games this season, Carr has passed for 1066 yards, with nine touchdowns and just one interception. With a 3-1 record, the team remains one game behind the 4-0 Denver Broncos in the AFC West.
The Raiders have now won back-to-back victories against the Ravens, ending the team’s thus perfect season. The silver and black return to Oakland, with two straight home games heading into the next few weeks.
