Tag: Derek Carr

The Raiders should call the Steelers for Antonio Brown

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Photo credit: musiccitymiracles.com

By Joe Hawkes-Beamon
SRS Contributor

There have been multiple reports in recent days that the Raiders would be interested in trading for Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown, which Oakland should do in a heartbeat. Armed with three first-round picks in this April’s NFL draft and flushed with nearly $73 million in salary cap space per Overthecap.com, the Raiders can send one of those picks to Pittsburgh and pay the going rate for the dynamic Brown.

Imagine quarterback Derek Carr throwing touchdowns to a wide receiver like Brown?

Carr threw for 4,049 yards with 19 touchdowns and 11 interceptions last season, much of that with insufficient talent at wide receiver. After the team traded away Amari Cooper to Dallas near midseason, free-agent addition Jordy Nelson was slowed by injuries for much of the season.

In fact, Carr’s most trusted receiver in 2018 was tight end Jared Cook, who had a career-year across the board. Cook had career-highs in catches (68), yards (896) and touchdowns (six) is an unrestricted free-agent and chances of him returning to the Silver and Black are a possibility.

But Antonio Brown would give Carr a legit weapon that other teams would have to fear. Brown has the ability to score from anywhere on the football field and the way that Raiders head coach Jon Gruden can design plays, getting Brown the ball shouldn’t be a problem.

Brown finished with 104 catches for 1,297 yards and 15 touchdowns, which led the NFL in 2018. Last season was the sixth-straight season that Brown recorded at least 100 catches, an NFL record per the Elias Sports Bureau.

With the Steelers reportedly seeking a first-round pick, the Raiders could ship either their own No. 4, or the No. 24 (from Chicago) or the No. 27 (from Dallas) respectively to Pittsburgh for Brown.

Just a thought, but the Raiders should make the move.

Chiefs scalp Raiders 35-3 in 2018 season finale

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Photo credit: @Raiders

By Jeremy Kahn

In their final game of the season, absolutely nothing went right for the Oakland Raiders and it ended on a sour note.

Patrick Mahomes went 14-for-24 with 284 yards passing with two touchdowns and an interception, as the Kansas City Chiefs clinched home-field advantage throughout the AFC Playoffs with a 35-3 pasting of the Raiders at Arrowhead Stadium.

It was a historic day for Mahomes, who became just the second quarterback in the 99-year history of the NFL to throw for over 5,000 yards and 50 touchdowns on a season. Mahomes joined Peyton Manning to accomplish this feat.

Mahomes ended the season with 5,097 yards and 50 touchdowns in his first full season as quarterback of the Chiefs.

Demarcus Robinson caught Mahomes 50th touchdown pass of the season, as he beat the Raiders’ secondary and went 89 yards to the end zone.

Tyreek Hill caught a 67-yard touchdown pass, as he ended the day with five catches for 101 yards and became the Chiefs’ all-time single season leader in receiving yards, as he ended the 2018 season with 1,479. Hill also added a touchdown run in the fourth quarter, as the Chiefs defeated the Raiders for the eighth time in their last nine meetings.

Damien Williams gained 51 yards on the ground for the Chiefs, who ended the season with a 12-4 record, while the Raiders ended with a 4-12 record.

It was a nightmarish day for the Raiders, who turned over the ball on their first possessions of the game, which Carr’s first interception in 332 attempts that came to an end when Daniel Sorensen returned the interception 54 yards for a touchdown. Carr also threw another interception and a fumbled in the first quarter.

Carr did finish the game by going 23-for-32 for 184 yards, and Doug Martin led the Raiders in rushing with 100 yards, but also fumbled the ball.

Mahomes got the Chiefs rolling, as he found Hill for that 67-yard touchdown pass and then Sorensen stepped in front of Jared Cook for the interception return for a touchdown and it was 14-0 in the first quarter.

The onslaught continued in the second quarter, as Williams scored to give the Chiefs a 21-0 over their longtime rivals.

Daniel Carlson scored the final points of the season for the Raiders, as he nailed a 50-yard field goal with just 1:04 remaining in the first half.

Robinson then snared the Mahomes pass and ran 89 yards to the end zone, including the final 15 yards backwards that warranted a 15-yard penalty on the kickoff that put Mahomes over the 5,000-yard barrier and 50 touchdowns on the season.

Hill scored the final points of the game, as he raced 15 yards to the end zone early in the fourth quarter.

NOTES: Raiders rookie defensive lineman Maurice Hurst sat out the game with an ankle injury, and ended the season with four sacks that led the Raiders. The four sacks matched the lowest to lead the team since the sacks became an official stat in 1982.

UP NEXT: Season over for the Raiders, as they look for a replacement for former General Manager Reggie McKenzie, as they have three first round picks in the 2019 NFL Draft that will be held in Nashville, TN in April.

Oakland Raiders podcast with Joe Hawkes Beamon: Can Raiders end this season with a win over the Chiefs in KC this Sunday?

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Photo credit: chiefswire.usatoday.com

On the Raiders podcast with Joe Hawkes Beamon:

#1 Last Monday Night was the last game at the Oakland Coliseum for the Oakland Raiders. How bittersweet is that for the fans, the city of Oakland and the Raiders organization?

#2 The game was special for the players. Did it seem like with the knowledge that this is the last home game of the season and possibly the last game ever at the Coliseum for the Raiders, did they came out pushing hard to win this one?

#3 The Raiders are in a big legal battle with the city of Oakland, and although an offer is on the table for the Raiders to stay in Oakland is on the table, the Raiders are looking to shop elsewhere and one those places is AT&T Park. Can you see them playing in the city next season?

#4 Joe, it’s like you wrote in your game recap regarding Raiders quarterback Derek Carr: For the season, Carr has thrown 3,864 yards with 19 touchdowns to just eight interceptions. Carr needs just 136 yards in Oakland’s season finale against the Chiefs in Kansas City for his first 4,000-yard season.

#5 Sunday is the last game of the season for the Raiders in Kansas City to conclude a weird, strange trip that it has been. From the letting go of several key players, to their team GM Reggie McKenzie and how the team scratched and clawed out a win against the Denver Broncos on Monday Night Football for a 27-14 win. Joe sums up the season for us.

Joe covered the Raiders each week during the 2018 season at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Raiders set to finish the 2018 season in KC on Sunday against the Chiefs

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Photo credit: raiders.com

By Joe Hawkes-Beamon
SRS Contributor

The Oakland Raiders will finish up the 2018 regular season on the road this Sunday where they will take on their most bitter AFC West rival, the Kansas City Chiefs. This Week 17 matchup will be the 117th meeting between the two clubs, with the Chiefs holding a 62-52-2 advantage over the Silver and Black and are currently riding a two-game winning streak in the series.

Kickoff is set for 1:25 p.m. PT from Arrowhead Stadium on CBS. Sunday’s contest will mark the fifth-straight season that the Raiders and Chiefs will conclude the regular season.

The Silver and Black finished out their 2018 home schedule in convincing fashion with a 27-14 win over another AFC West rival in the Denver Broncos on ESPN’s Monday Night Football in Week 16. With the idea that Monday night’s game could be the final home game ever for the Raiders in Oakland stuck in everyone’s mind, Raider Nation was treated to a much needed victory on Christmas Eve by its football team.

Raiders quarterback Derek Carr extended his club-record streak of passes without an interception to 325, a mark that currently leads the NFL. His last interception came all the way back in Week 5 against the Chargers.

Carr completed 19-of-26 passes for just 167 yards against the Broncos, and is just 136 yards shy from his first career 4,000-yard passing season. For the season, Carr has thrown for 3,864 yards with 19 touchdowns to just eight interceptions.

Running back Doug Martin, an Oakland native, had his biggest game of the season in front of his hometown crowd carrying the ball 21 times for 107 yards and one touchdown. After Martin’s 24-yard run down the Raiders’ sideline that gave the Raiders a 14-0 lead, Martin threw up an “O” to the Oakland crowd.

Wide receiver/kick returner Dwayne Harris provided the biggest play of the game, returning a punt 99 yards for the game’s first score in the first quarter. Harris’ punt return tied for the second-longest in NFL history with Patrick Peterson’s 99-yarder back in 2011. Robert Bailey has the NFL’s longest punt return, a 103-yarder set in 1994 per the Elias Sports Bureau.

Per NFL Next Gen Stats, Harris ran 157.5 yards on his touchdown return, the longest distance covered by any ball carrier in the last three season. The play earned Harris AFC Special Teams Player of the Week for the second time in 2018.

Defensively, the Raiders put the clamps on the Broncos in the first-half, forcing Denver to punt five times in six possessions. The Broncos missed a 58-yard field goal right before halftime, allowing the Raiders to carry a 17-0 lead into the locker room.

Per the Elias Sports Bureau, the 17-first-half points were the most by the Raiders since scoring 21 points in the first-half against the New York Jets in Week 2 of the 2017 season.

Broncos quarterback Case Keenum did throw two touchdowns to rookie wide receivers DaeSean Hamilton and Courtland Sutton, but also two interceptions to safeties Marcus Gilchrist and Erik Harris.

Both interceptions came in the fourth quarter that sealed the victory for Oakland, who improved to 4-11 on the season. In their last six games, the Raiders are 3-3.

Oakland surrendered just 202 yards on 23-of-37 passes, marking the 10th-straight game that the Raiders have held opposing quarterbacks to less than 300 yards passing. The last quarterback to throw for over 300 yards against the Silver and Black was Philip Rivers (339) for the Chargers in Week 5.

After starting the season 11-2, the Chiefs (11-4) have dropped back-to-back games in recent weeks.

Last week, the Chiefs traveled to Seattle and left with a 38-31 loss to the Seahawks on NBC’s Sunday Night Football from always noisy CenturyLink Field.

With a win over the Raiders Sunday, Kansas City will win the AFC West title for the second-straight season (their third division crown in four seasons), and home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs.

In the first meeting of the year in Week 13, the Chiefs narrowly escaped the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum with a 40-33 victory in what turned out to be an offensive explosion for both teams. Defense was an afterthought, with both offenses combining for 911 yards of total offense and scoring nine touchdowns.

Chiefs starting quarterback Patrick Mahomes threw four touchdowns and no interceptions in the contest with 295 yards passing. Mahomes, who completed 23-of-38 passes, connected with tight end Travis Kelce for 12 receptions for 168 yards and two touchdowns.

Not to be outdone, the duo of Raiders quarterback Derek Carr and tight end Jared Cook were spectacular on that Sunday afternoon in the Black Hole too, with Carr completing 29-of-38 passes for 285 yards and three touchdowns.

Cook hauled in seven of Carr’s passes for 100 yards and one touchdown in the game.

Raiders take down Broncos 27-14 in potential last game at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum

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Photo credit: @Raiders

By Joe Hawkes-Beamon
SRS Contributor

OAKLAND, Calif. — In what may or may not have been the final game at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, the Raiders provided Raider Nation some much needed joy on Christmas Eve with a 27-14 win over their AFC West rival Denver Broncos on ESPN’s Monday Night Football.

Oakland (4-11) picked up their first division win of the season, the last team to win a game within their division. Additionally, the win snaps Oakland’s seven-game home losing streak on Monday Night Football, dating back to the 2002 season.

The Raiders are set to play in Las Vegas starting in 2020, but have no lease signed to play at the Oakland-Alameda Coliseum for the 2019 season. The city of Oakland filed a lawsuit against the franchise contesting the move two weeks ago. The Silver and Black are looking into options for next season, including playing at AT&T Park in San Francisco.

The NFL wants to have a resolution to the situation by early February, at the latest.

The franchise has called the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum home from 1966 through 1981, then in 1995 through now after spending 13 seasons in Los Angeles.Raiders quarterback Derek Carr finished 19-of-26 for 167 yards and most importantly, no interceptions in his last 325 passing attempts. Per the Elias Sports Bureau, that is the third longest streak in NFL history by a quarterback.

Carr hasn’t thrown an interception in 10 games, dating back to Oct. 7 against the Los Angeles Chargers. Carr threw his eighth interception at the time into the waiting hands of linebacker Melvin Ingram in the end zone.

For the season, Carr has thrown 3,864 yards with 19 touchdowns to just eight interceptions. Carr needs just 136 yards in Oakland’s season finale against the Chiefs in Kansas City for his first 4,000-yard season.

The Raiders jumped on the board early and gave their fans something to cheer about, after punt returner Dwayne Harris returned a punt 99 yards for the game’s first score. The Broncos failed to down the football at the 1-yard line and Harris alertly picked up the football, juked a few defenders and raced down the Broncos’ sideline for the score.

The 99-yard punt return for the touchdown, was the second-longest in NFL history according to the Elias Sports Bureau, tied with Patrick Peterson’s 99-yarder in 2011, and trailing Robert Bailey’s 103-yarder in 1994.

According to NFL Next Gen Stats, Harris ran 157.5 yards on his touchdown return, the longest distance covered by any ball carrier in the past three seasons.

With Oakland native Marshawn Lynch lighting up the Al Davis Torch before the game, fellow running back Doug Martin ran all over the Broncos on Monday night, rushing for 107 yards on 21 carries and a touchdown.

Martin, who was born in Oakland, scored untouched on a 24-yard run before throwing up an “O” before Raider Nation to give the Raiders a 14-0 lead in the second quarter.Oakland added a 43-yard field goal from rookie kicker Daniel Carlson to give the Raiders a 17-0 lead heading into halftime. Per the Elias Sports Bureau, the 17-first-half points were the most by the Raiders since scoring 21 points in the first-half against the New York Jets in Week 2 of the 2017 season.

When watching the first-half, it felt like Oakland was playing more inspired football than Denver, who appeared to be ready for Christmas morning rather than a football game against one of their greatest rivals.

In six first-half drives, the Broncos punted five times and missed a 58-yard field goal from kicker Brandon McManus as time expired for halftime. Denver’s offense was nonexistent for the majority of the contest as penalties crippled them throughout the night as the Broncos were called for 11 penalties racking up 91 yards.

That’s not a recipe for success in the NFL.The Broncos didn’t get on the board until midway in the third quarter when quarterback Case Keenum threw a pair of touchdowns to rookie wide receivers DaeSean Hamilton and Courtland Sutton.

Oakland would quickly respond, thanks to a 3-yard touchdown run by running back Jalen Richard, but Keenum’s two fourth quarter interceptions to Marcus Gilchrist and Erik Harris sealed the victory for the Raiders.

Keenum completed 23-of-37 passes for 202 yards and two touchdowns and two interceptions. Now at 6-9, the Broncos are assured of back-to-back losing seasons for the first time since 1971-72 which has put head coach Vance Joseph squarely on the hot seat.

Denver finished 5-11 last year in Joseph’s first season and entered this season with playoff aspirations, but have stumbled in 2018 and now have lost three-straight games following a 6-6 record.

Last week’s 17-16 loss at home to the Cleveland Browns eliminated the Broncos from postseason contention. Tonight’s performance by Denver could’ve possibly sealed Joseph’s fate, who is rumored to be fired at season’s end. The Broncos finish up the regular season against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 17 in Denver.

Broncos running back Phillip Lindsay eclipsed the 1,000-yard rushing mark in the first half, joining Dominic Rhodes and LaGarrette Blount as the only undrafted rookies to rush for 1,000 yards in the Super Bowl era per the Elias Sports Bureau. Lindsay rushed for 46 yards before leaving the game with a right wrist injury and didn’t return.

With 1,037 rushing yards on the season, Lindsay needs just 68 yards to break Rhodes’ record (1,104) that was set in 2001 as a member of the Indianapolis Colts.

If this was the last game at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum for the Raiders, it was a fitting send off.

Not only did the Raiders defeat one of its biggest rivals in the Broncos, who came into the game with the most victories (22) by a visiting team per the Elias Sports Bureau, but Oakland made the game feel like a celebration rather than a funeral as some suggested.

The Raiders will wrap up the 2018 regular season in Kansas City against the Chiefs where Derek Carr will try to earn his first win at Arrowhead Stadium where he’s 0-4 lifetime.

Raiders battle Broncos on Christmas Eve in home finale at the Coliseum

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Photo credit: broncoswire.usatoday.com

By Joe Hawkes-Beamon
SRS Contributor

OAKLAND — The Raiders return to the Oakland-Alameda Coliseum in what will be the team’s home finale to a rough 2019 season. The Silver and Black will host the Denver Broncos on Christmas Eve in a AFC West matchup on Monday Night Football with the kickoff set for 5:15 p.m. PT on ESPN.

Oakland holds a 62-52-2 all-time record against the Broncos, with the Raiders looking to make it three in a row over Denver at home.

Last week, the Raiders (3-11) traveled to Cincinnati to take on the Bengals, but lost 30-16 at Paul Brown Stadium in Week 15.

Raiders quarterback Derek Carr continued to move up the franchise record book. Carr passed Rich Gannon for the most consecutive pass attempts without throwing an interception against the Bengals. Now sitting at 299 attempts, bested Gannon’s mark of 277 set back in 2001.

In fact, Carr hasn’t thrown an interception in nine-straight games after throwing for 263 yards on 21-of-38 passes and one touchdown. Through 14 games, Carr has 19 touchdowns and eight interceptions. Entering Monday night’s game with 3,697 passing yards, Carr is 303 yards shy from his first 4,000-yard passing season.

Wide receiver Jordy Nelson led the Raiders with six catches for 88 yards.

Lee Smith, who is better known for his blocking, has been more of a scorer in recent weeks, hauling in a touchdown for the third-straight game.

Defensively, safety Karl Joseph led the team with eight tackles (six solo) and his first sack of the season. Fellow safety Erik Harris recorded his first-career interception.

The Broncos (6-8) enter Week 16 losing to the Cleveland Browns 17-16 at home last Saturday. The slim loss eliminated Denver from playoff contention in the AFC, and puts them one loss away from back-to-back losing seasons. Denver finished 5-11 in 2017.

Denver is looking to complete the season sweep over Oakland, after defeating the Raiders 20-19 at Denver Stadium at Mile High in Week 2. The Broncos rallied from a 12-point second-half deficit, capped off by kicker Brandon McManus’ 36-yard game-winning field goal just inside the right upright with 6 seconds to play.

Broncos rookie running back Phillip Lindsay, who was named to the AFC Pro Bowl team on Tuesday, rushed for 107 yards on 14 carries against the Raiders in Week 2.

On the season, Lindsay has rushed for 991 yards to go along with nine touchdowns on 182 carries in 14 games (seven starts) for the Broncos.

Linebacker Von Miller continues to be a terror on defense. The former Defensive Player of the Year leads the the team with 14.5 sacks and four forced fumbles, and was voted to his eighth Pro Bowl team. Fellow linebacker Bradley Chubb is second on the Broncos with 12.0 sacks and was named an alternate to the Pro Bowl.

Chubb, the Broncos’ top pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, is 2.5 sacks away from tying Jevon Kearse’s (14.5) NFL record for rookies, set in 1999 with the Tennessee Titans.

Carr breaks Gannon’s record in 30-16 loss to Bengals

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By Jeremy Kahn

It seems that the Oakland Raiders are not able to put two wins in a row together at any time this season.

Joe Mixon ran for 129 yards and two touchdowns, helping the Cincinnati Bengals to a 30-16 victory over the Raiders at Paul Brown Stadium.

With the loss, the Raiders have not won back-to-back games this season.

The win by the Bengals stopped their five-game losing streak, the third-worst slump in the 16 seasons under head coach Marvin Lewis.

Mixon scored on a 15-yard touchdown run with just 4:04 remaining in the game, gave the running back his second consecutive 100-yard game and the Bengals won for the first time since October.

The Bengals announced the attendance as 44,568 for their last home game of the season, as they achieved the second smallest attendance in the 19 seasons that the Bengals have been playing in Paul Brown Stadium.

Jeff Driskel, playing in place of the injured Andy Dalton went 14-for-33 for 130 yards with one touchdown and an interception.

Tyler Boyd caught four passes for the Bengals, as he gained a team-leading 38 yards for the now 6-8 Bengals.

Derek Carr went 21-for-38 for 263 yards with a touchdown, as he broke Rich Gannon’s team record for pass attempts without an interception.

During the 2001 season, Gannon threw 277 passes without an interception and Carr broke the 17-year old record with his 14th pass of the afternoon.

The streak almost ended on the Raiders’ first possession, as Shawn Williams dropped a pass that was thrown right to him.

Doug Martin led the Raiders in rushing with nine carries for 39 yards, while Jordy Nelson led the Raiders with six catches for 88 yards.

Jalen Richard caught five passes for 67 yards, and also carried the ball four times for nine yards in the 14-point loss, as the Raiders saw their record fall to 3-11 on the season and 1-6 on the road.

NOTES: Kelechi Osemele missed his second straight game with a toe injury and Gabe Jackson was unable to go, as he inactive due to an elbow injury. Former Massillon High School and Ohio State Buckeyes Defensive Back Gareon Conley suffered a concussion in the game and will be re-evaluated.

UP NEXT: After an eight-day layoff, the Raiders will return to the field on Monday night December 24, as the Denver Broncos come to the Coliseum. In their previous meeting on September 16, the Broncos defeated the Raiders 20-19 at Broncos Stadium at Mile High.

Sloppy Raiders lose to Bengals in Cincinnati, 30-16

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Photo credit: mercurynews.com

By Joe Hawkes-Beamon
SRS Contributor

The Raiders were looking to win back-to-back games for the first time this season but failed to do so, losing to the Bengals 30-16 on Sunday at Paul Brown Stadium.

Oakland (3-11) is now 1-6 on the road this season.

Quarterback Derek Carr completed 21-of-38 passes for 263 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions. It was the ninth straight game that Carr didn’t throw an interception in a game. But Carr almost did throw an interception in the first quarter on Oakland’s first possession of the game, but Bengals safety Shawn Williams dropped the ball.

In the game, Carr moved past Rich Gannon for the most consecutive passes without an interception (277) in team history on his 14th pass.

Gannon established the franchise record back in 2001.

But it took the Raiders six possessions to score their first touchdown of the game, a 1-yard pass from Carr to tight end Lee Smith in the second quarter with Oakland already down 17-0. Smith, who is known more for his blocking, has scored a touchdown in three-straight games.

Oakland’s first five possessions of the game went like this: punt, a fumble by Carr, punt, punt, a fumble by running back Jalen Richard inside of their own territory and punt. The Raiders lost both fumbles leading to 10 points for Cincinnati.

Behind a makeshift offensive line that was missing left guard Kelechi Osemele, Cincinnati applied pressure to Carr throughout the game, sacking him five times and hitting him seven times on throws. Star defensive tackle Geno Atkins had three sacks and defensive end Sam Hubbard recorded two sacks and a forced fumble.

Carr, who has eight fumbles on the year, lost a fumble for the sixth time this season, establishing a new career-high.

The Raiders finished with eight penalties for 90 yards.

With the Bengals keying in on Carr’s top target in tight end Jared Cook, Jordy Nelson was Oakland’s leading pass catcher Sunday finishing with six catches for 88 yards. Cook, who is in his 10th season in the league (his second in Oakland), had just two catches for 23 yards after catching seven passes for 116 yards.

Cook came into Sunday’s contest with back-to-back 100-yard receiving games is enjoying his finest season this year, with career-highs in catches (63), yards (848) and touchdowns (six) and could be headed to his first Pro Bowl.

Second-year Running back Joe Mixon had a big day for the Bengals (6-8), scoring two touchdowns in the game and rushing for over 100 yards for the second-straight week. Mixon rushed for 129 yards on 27 carries against the Raiders after rushing for 111 yards on 26 carries in Week 14 against the Los Angeles Chargers.

Before suffering a knee injury in the first half that would sideline him for the rest of the day, third-year wide receiver Tyler Boyd would eclipse 1,000 yards for the first time in his career.

Boyd finished with just four catches for 38 yards and a touchdown, but he became just the first wide receiver not named A.J. Green to record a 1,000-yard season — and not since Chad Johnson in 2009 — to do so, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

Green is currently on injured reserve with a foot injury.

Third-year quarterback Jeff Driskel struggled in his third start since taking over for starter Andy Dalton (hand), who is also on injured reserve. Driskel did find Boyd on a 7-yard score for the game’s first score, but finished 14-of-33 for 130 yards and an interception.

Next week, the Raiders return home to take on their AFC West rival, the Denver Broncos on Christmas Eve in what could be the final game ever for the Raiders in Oakland. 

The Raiders don’t have a signed lease to play at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum for 2019.

Denver (6-8) fell to the visiting Cleveland Browns 17-16 at Broncos Stadium at Mile High on Saturday.

Raiders are off to Cincinnati for matchup against Bengals on Sunday

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Photo credit: wsj.com

By Joe Hawkes-Beamon
SRS Contributor

OAKLAND, Calif. — The Raiders are seeking back-to-back wins for the first time this season, as they prepare to head East where they will face the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 15 action. The contest will conclude the Raiders’ regular season schedule against the AFC North, as they are 2-1 against the division in 2018.

Sunday will mark just the first meeting between the two teams since 2015, and Oakland’s first visit to Paul Brown Stadium since 2012. In 28 meetings, the Raiders are 18-10 against the Bengals all-time, with Cincinnati winning the last two encounters.

Kickoff is at 10:00 a.m. PT.

Last week, the Raiders improved to 3-10 on the season, knocking off the Pittsburgh Steelers from the AFC North, 24-21 in come-from-behind fashion in front of a frenzy crowd at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum.

The Raiders wouldn’t be denied the victory as quarterback Derek Carr engineered an 8-play, 75-yard drive that was punctuated by touchdown pass to tight end Derek Carrier for the eventual game-winner after the Steelers missed a potential game-tying field goal from 39 yards away as time expired.

Carr finished the game with a blistering 122.4 passer rating after completing 25-of-34 passes for 322 yards and two touchdowns. It was Carr’s 16th comeback victory in his career. No other player has more comebacks since 2014, Carr’s rookie season.

After a rocky start to the season in which he threw 10 touchdowns and a eight interceptions through Weeks 1-8, Carr has rebounded tremendously since throwing eight touchdowns and no interceptions since. Carr hasn’t thrown an interception in his last 261 attempts, the second most by a quarterback this season.

Tight end Jared Cook has been the Raiders most trusted playmaker this season.

Against the Steelers, Cook recorded his second-straight 100-yard receiving day, tallying 116 yards on seven catches. It was Cook’s fourth 100-yard receiving game of the season, which is second-most by a tight end this season.

In his second season with Oakland, the nine-year veteran is having his most productive season, with career-highs in catches (61), yards (825), and touchdowns (six). With three games left in the season, Cook has a chance to challenge Todd Christensen’s club record of 1,153 receiving yards by a tight end set in 1986.

Defensively, linebacker Tahir Whitehead recorded his first interception of the season for the Raiders and finished with 10 tackles (six solo). Whitehead now has 103 tackles for the season, giving him his third-straight season of at least 100 tackles.

With season-ending injuries to franchise quarterback Andy Dalton (hand) and superstar wide receiver A.J. Green (foot),  the Bengals (5-8), are a shell of themselves and currently are riding a five-game losing streak.

Cincinnati fell to the Los Angeles Chargers 26-21 at StubHub Center in Carson, Calif. in Week 14. Second-year running back Joe Mixon has been one of the lone bright spots for the Bengals this season and his game against the Chargers proved that.

Against the Chargers, Mixon carried the ball 26 times for 111 yards and a touchdown, giving him 866 rushing yards and six touchdowns this season. Barring major injury the rest of the season, Mixon should record his first 1,000-yard rushing season.

Following Sunday’s game, the Raiders will return home to take on their AFC West rival, the Denver Broncos on Christmas Eve in what could be the final home game in Oakland for the Raiders.

The City of Oakland filed a lawsuit against the franchise this week for their move to Las Vegas in 2020. The Raiders don’t have a lease signed to play at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum for 2019.

Sunday’s game against the Raiders will the Bengals’ home-finale, as they will finish up on the road in Week’s 16 and 17 against the Cleveland Browns and Steelers, respectively.

Derek Carr’s two TDs in the fourth quarter lifts Oakland over Pittsburgh, 24-21

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Photo credit: @offclockpodcast

By Joe Hawkes-Beamon
SRS Contributor

OAKLAND, Calif. — Derek Carr throws a 6-yard touchdown to tight end Derek Carrier with 21 seconds left in the fourth quarter before Chris Boswell slipped on the Oakland-Alameda Coliseum turf as he attempted a 40-yard game-tying field goal as the Oakland Raiders defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers, 24-21 on Sunday afternoon.

Carr threw two touchdowns in the final period of the game, leading to his 16th career fourth-quarter comeback. In the contest, Carr completed 25-of-34 passes for 322 yards and no interceptions for the Raiders (3-10). Carr found tight end Lee Smith for a 3-yard touchdown that gave Oakland a 17-14 lead with 5:20 left in the game.

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Carr has not thrown an interception in his last 261 passing attempts this season, which is second-most behind Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ (359). Rodgers, a future Hall of Famer, broke Tom Brady’s (who will be a first-ballot Hall of Famer for sure once he’s done playing) record of 358-straight passes without an interception through the 2010 and 2011 seasons.

After suffering a rib injury in the first half, Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger played just one series in the second half, leading the Steelers to the go-ahead touchdown, a 1-yard score by wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, that gave the Steelers a 21-17 lead with 2:55 left in the game.

Roethlisberger passed for 282 yards and two touchdowns on 25-of-29 passes, while backup quarterback Joshua Dobbs struggled, completing 4-of-9 passes for 24 yards and one interception.

With fellow wide receiver Antonio Brown having a quiet day with just five catches for 35 yards, Smith-Schuster finished with eight catches for 130 yards and two touchdowns. Smith-Schuster scored his first touchdown of the game in the second quarter (another 1-yard score) from Roethlisberger that gave the Steelers  their first lead of the the game, 14-10 with 10 seconds remaining before halftime.

The play was initially ruled incomplete on the field, but was overturned by the replay booth after video showed Smith-Schuster had both feet down in bounds. At times, the crowd that made up the 53,960 in attendance at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum looked and sounded like Heinz Field with the strong presence of Steelers fans in attendance.

But the real story was how cool Carr was on the Raiders’ final drive of the game.

On the drive that started on their own 25-yard line, Carr led Oakland on an 8-play, 75-yard drive in 2:34 for the go-ahead score to Carrier.

Carr completed 4-of-6 passes for 68 yards (39 of those yards coming on a completion  to wide receiver Seth Roberts) down the middle of the field into Pittsburgh’s territory.

Tight end Jared Cook finished with seven catches for 116 yards (all game-highs) for Oakland, giving him his back-to-back 100-yard receiving games.