While the Oakland Raiders fell to the Kansas City Chiefs 26-10 Sunday afternoon, the Silver and Black's offense came out of the gates quickly, taking just seven plays on its first series of the game to the find the end zone.
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With 12:02 remaining in the first quarter, and the Raiders on the Kansas City three-yard line, quarterback Derek Carr, operating from the shotgun in a five-receiver set, found wide receiver Andre Holmes in the back of the end zone to give Oakland an early 6-0 lead.
The connection to Holmes not only gave the Raiders an early advantage, but was also the only touchdown of the day for the Silver and Black, so Carr's pass to Holmes is this week's Right Combination Play presented by State Farm.
Following the game, Holmes broke down the touchdown.
Pre-snap:
"We worked on that play throughout the week, and most of the time, it was in the back of the end zone, so that's why I was prepared for it."
Fighting through a holding call, and gaining separation from Kansas City Chiefs defensive back Ron Parker:
"It's almost all instinct. Everything happens so fast, and when someone's grabbing you, you're trying to get him off of you as much as you can, but especially when you know the ball is possibly going to be there, so that's basically what I tried to do, is just play physical so that then I have some space to catch the ball."
Things get more compact in the Red Zone:
"It's condensed because of the back line, and so things happen faster. The ball is going to come in faster, in tighter windows, and you're going to have to make contested catches in the Red Zone, and you're probably going to get hit. It's just [that] everyone is looking in one, small area, so it's definitely condensed."
Securing the ball and getting both feet down in the end zone:
"Immediately, I knew that I got my feet in. I could just tell that I got it in. I look at the ref to get some confirmation, and then [I'm] just happy. You're just happy you made the play. You're happy you helped the team, and it's one of the best feelings playing football, scoring touchdowns.
Holmes certainly has a flair for the dramatic:
"It always feels good to make crazy plays and everything, and really, when the moment strikes, it's just doing what you have to do. That's all it is. That's how I think of it."
