Here are the game notes following the Oakland Raiders' 35-32 win on Sunday against the Carolina Panthers, presented by Microsoft Surface.
Raiders 35, Panthers 32
|  |
The Raiders won their fifth game in a row and ninth of the season, improving their record to 9-2 by beating the Panthers by a score of 35-32 and becoming to 4-2 on home field this year.
The Raiders are now 9-2 for the first time since the 2000 season when the team recorded a 12-4 record and advanced to the AFC Championship game.
The 35-32 victory marks their first victory against Carolina since 2004 and brings the all-time series record to three wins apiece.
The Raiders' five-game winning streak is the franchise's longest since 2002, the same year the team finished 11-5 and advanced to Super Bowl XXXVII.
The 9-2 mark gives the Raiders their first winning season since 2002.
Game Highlights
The Raiders opened the first half with 24 points scored, the most in the first half of play by the club this season.
Following two quarters of play, the Panthers' offense was held to 12 yards passing and 89 total net yards, while going one-of-six on third down.
Entering today's game, the Raiders' defense ranked first in the NFL since Week 14 of 2015 in third-down percentage (34.2). The defense held the Panthers to 3-of-10 (30%) on third down in today's matchup.
The offensive line held the Panthers' defense to just two sacks on the day, totaling an NFL-low 13 on the season through 12 weeks.
For the fifth time this season, QB Derek Carrrecorded a fourth-quarter comeback to lead his team to victory. Carr has nine such victories over the last two seasons, second most in the NFL, and has tallied 10 total in his three-year career thus far.
**QB Derek Carr
**
On the second offensive series of the game, QB Derek Carr led the team on a five-play, 62-yard scoring drive culminating in a 2-yard score by WR Seth Roberts. Carr accounted for 66 passing yards on the drive.
Carr eclipsed 3,000 passing yards for the season, marking the third season in a row career he's thrown for more than 3,000 yards. Carr ties Daryle Lamonica for second most 3,000-plus seasons in team history and is the first Raider to do so since Rich Gannon recorded a franchise-record four from 1999-2002.
Carr is also the first quarterback in franchise history to begin his career with three consecutive 3,000-yard seasons.
On the same drive that Carr eclipsed the 3,000-yard mark for the season, Carr orchestrated a 10-play, 75-yard drive lasting 4:49 and concluded with a 12-yard touchdown reception by TE Clive Walford. Down by two following the touchdown, Carr completed the 2-point conversion in traffic to Roberts to tie the game at 32.
Carr registered his fourth 300-plus-yard performance of the season and 11th of his career, tying him for second most in franchise history with Daryle Lamonica.
Carr posted his fifth passer rating of at least 100.0 this season and 12th of his career, eighth most in franchise history.
Carr finished with 315 yards on 26-of-38 attempts with two touchdowns through the air and one interception, earning himself a passer rating of 100.2 and his fifth fourth-quarter comeback of the season.
WR Michael Crabtree
On third-and-9 from Oakland's 14-yard line, WR Michael Crabtree hauled in a 49-yard pass fromQB Derek Carr to move the Raiders' offense into Panthers territory on their 37-yard line. Crabtree had recorded two receptions for 64 yards during the Raiders' game-winning drive, more than half of his total for the entire game.
Crabtree's stat line concluded with eight receptions for 110 yards (13.8 avg.). It marks the third time this season he has surpassed the 100-yard barrier in a game and sixth total as a Raider.
**RB Latavius Murray
**
Following a 30-yard reception by WR Johnny Holtonthat put the offense on the Carolina 4-yard line, RB Latavius Murray pounded in his ninth rushing touchdown of the season to give the Raiders a 14-7 lead, capping a 10-play, 71-yard drive lasting 5:22.
Murray's ninth touchdown of the season is the most by a running back since Lamont Jordan's nine in 2005, marking the 11th time a Raider has recorded nine or more rushing touchdowns in a season. Murray's nine touchdowns on the ground are tied for fourth in the NFL this season
Murray finished with 45 yards rushing on 19 carries (2.3 avg.) while adding 43 yards through the air on three receptions (14.3 avg.) and one touchdown.
WR Seth Roberts
With 4:54 left in the first quarter, WR Seth Robertshauled in a 2-yard touchdown pass from QB Derek Carr to give the Raiders a 7-0 lead over the Panthers.
Roberts is the fourth undrafted Raider with at least 10 career touchdown receptions.
Roberts now has two five-touchdown seasons, tying James Jett for the most by an undrafted Raider since the 1970 merger.
Roberts tied the game at 32 midway through the fourth quarter when he caught a ball in traffic to complete the Raiders' fifth two-point conversion of the season. Oakland is 3-0 when converting a two-point conversion this season.
The Raiders have moved to 9-0 when Roberts records a touchdown reception in a game, and 5-0 in 2016.
Roberts ended his day with three receptions for 31 yards (10.3 avg.), one touchdown and one two-point conversion.
LB Bruce Irvin
On third-and-6 from the Panthers' 16-yard line, LB Bruce Irvin brought Carolina's drive to a halt by bringing down Cam Newton for his fourth sack of the season.
Irvin has now recorded a sack in two consecutive games for the first time this season.
Irvin finished with four tackles (three solo) and one sack and one pass defensed.
**DE Khalil Mack
**
Mack recorded an interception, sack, forced fumble, fumble recovery and touchdown in today's game, the first player in the NFL to accomplish such a feat since Charles Woodson in 2009. Mack also added six tackles on the day.
With the team up 17-7 late in the second quarter, DE Khalil Mackrecorded his first career interception and first career touchdown, a 6-yard score that gave the Raiders a 24-7 lead heading into intermission.
Mack's touchdown is the Raiders first interception returned for touchdown since CB David Amerson did so on Jan. 3, 2016 at Kansas City.
On the Panthers' final offensive play of the game, Mack recorded a sack for the sixth consecutive game this season, forcing and recovering a fumble and sealing the game for the Raiders.
No player in the NFL has more than Mack's seven sacks since Week 7.
K Sebastian Janikowski
Up 14-7 with 6:53 remaining in the opening half, K Sebastian Janikowskiextended the Raiders lead to 10 by knocking a 23-yard field goal through the uprights.
With the game tied at 32 and 1:47 left in the remaining quarter of play, Janikowski knocked his 15th career game-winning field goal through the uprights from 23 yards out to push the Raiders ahead by three. The field goal capped a 12-play, 82-yard drive that lasted 3:20.
Janikowski finished two field goals made (23, 23) and two PATs totaling nine points.
P Marquette King
P Marquette Kingentered Week 12 with an NFL-leading 23 punts of 50-yards-or-more. He added punts of 56 yard and 51 yard to his stat sheet in the third quarter.
King finished the day with five punts for 240 yards (48.0 avg.) with three punts downed inside the 20-yard line.
King has 25 punts downed inside the 20-yard line this season, tied for the fourth most in the NFL in 2016.
Other Notables
DL Denico Autry
Autry blocked the PAT following the Panthers second touchdown of the game. The blocked kick marks the Raiders' first of the season and the fourth of Autry's career.
WR Johnny Holton
Holton recorded a key first-down pickup to bring the ball to the Carolina 4-yard line on a 30-yard reception. On the next,RB Latavius Murraypunched it in to regain the lead, 14-7.
RB Jalen Richard
Richard contributed with 23 yards rushing on seven carries (3.3 avg.), five punt returns for 34 yards (6.8 avg.) and two kickoff returns for 46 yards (23.0 avg.).
Five punt returns tie for his most this season.
