BEFORE LAST NIGHT, the Oakland Raiders had lost 72 straight games where they’d been trailing by 15 points or more at any stage, but 29 unanswered points over the course of 12 second-half minutes helped seal a 38-24 win and keep Oakland in control of the number one spot in the AFC.
During an ugly start — where the Silver and Black looked more like the Oakland of the past two decades — the Buffalo Bills ran all over the Raiders with LeSean McCoy and Tyrod Taylor putting them 24-9 up midway through the third quarter.
However, Derek Carr hit one important pass after another to finish with 260 passing yards despite having his little finger taped following its dislocation last week
With running back Latavius Murray also impressing, and the Patriots missing Gronk for the rest of the year, there is a compelling arguement that the Raiders now have the most dangerous offence in the AFC.
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And it wasn’t just on offence that the Raiders improved as the game went on. Khalil Mack was once again a dominant force, hitting Taylor’s arm on one drive to force an interception before ending the game on the next with a strip sack and fumble recovery.
He’s far from alone in the race for Defensive Player of the Year but, over the past two weeks, has done his chances no harm whatsoever.
Earl Thomas is carted off the field. Stephen Brashear / AP/Press Association Images
Stephen Brashear / AP/Press Association Images / AP/Press Association Images
Elsewhere the Seattle Seahawks enjoyed a 40-7 victory over the Carolina Panthers who benched quarterback Cam Newton for the first play of the game for a dress code violation.
That meant Derek Anderson started the game and he promptly rewarded Ron Rivera by throwing an interception on the very first snap.
After their worst outing of the season last week against the Bucs, Seattle took advantage of a soft Carolina defence to run up a score but the game was marred by a gruesome injury to Earl Thomas which prompted the player to tweet after the game that he was considering retirement.
In Pittsburgh, the New York Giants’ six-game win streak came to an abrupt halt as they lost 24-14 to the Steelers for whom Le’Veon Bell had no fewer than 35 touches for 182 yards and a touchdown.
Tampa Bay continued their good run with a 28-21 win over the San Diego Chargers while Washington suffered a second straight defeat as the Arizona Cardinals defence stepped up to secure a 31-23 win.
With Washington and New York both losing, Dallas can wrap up the NFC East next weekend.
The Raiders continue to just win, baby
BEFORE LAST NIGHT, the Oakland Raiders had lost 72 straight games where they’d been trailing by 15 points or more at any stage, but 29 unanswered points over the course of 12 second-half minutes helped seal a 38-24 win and keep Oakland in control of the number one spot in the AFC.
During an ugly start — where the Silver and Black looked more like the Oakland of the past two decades — the Buffalo Bills ran all over the Raiders with LeSean McCoy and Tyrod Taylor putting them 24-9 up midway through the third quarter.
However, Derek Carr hit one important pass after another to finish with 260 passing yards despite having his little finger taped following its dislocation last week
With running back Latavius Murray also impressing, and the Patriots missing Gronk for the rest of the year, there is a compelling arguement that the Raiders now have the most dangerous offence in the AFC.
And it wasn’t just on offence that the Raiders improved as the game went on. Khalil Mack was once again a dominant force, hitting Taylor’s arm on one drive to force an interception before ending the game on the next with a strip sack and fumble recovery.
He’s far from alone in the race for Defensive Player of the Year but, over the past two weeks, has done his chances no harm whatsoever.
Elsewhere the Seattle Seahawks enjoyed a 40-7 victory over the Carolina Panthers who benched quarterback Cam Newton for the first play of the game for a dress code violation.
That meant Derek Anderson started the game and he promptly rewarded Ron Rivera by throwing an interception on the very first snap.
After their worst outing of the season last week against the Bucs, Seattle took advantage of a soft Carolina defence to run up a score but the game was marred by a gruesome injury to Earl Thomas which prompted the player to tweet after the game that he was considering retirement.
In Pittsburgh, the New York Giants’ six-game win streak came to an abrupt halt as they lost 24-14 to the Steelers for whom Le’Veon Bell had no fewer than 35 touches for 182 yards and a touchdown.
Tampa Bay continued their good run with a 28-21 win over the San Diego Chargers while Washington suffered a second straight defeat as the Arizona Cardinals defence stepped up to secure a 31-23 win.
With Washington and New York both losing, Dallas can wrap up the NFC East next weekend.
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