Derek Carr on Thursday threw a two-yard touchdown pass to Michael Crabtree with no time remaining, lifting the Raiders to a stunning 31-30 victory against the Kansas City Chiefs that just might have saved Oakland’s season.
The Raiders marched 85 yards in 11 plays for Carr’s touchdown pass, tying the game 30-30. Giorgio Tavecchio kicked the extra point.
Instead of falling four games behind the first-place Chiefs (5-2) in the American Football Conference West, the Raiders (3-4) closed to within two games and snapped a four-game losing streak.
“Obviously, tonight was huge,” Raiders coach Jack Del Rio said. “The key for us is that we really have continued to believe.”
Carr threw what was initially ruled to be a 29-yard touchdown pass to tight end Jared Cook with 16 seconds left. However, after a review, Cook was ruled down by contact just short of the end zone.
Crabtree then caught a 1-yard touchdown pass with three seconds left, but was flagged for offensive pass interference.
Carr threw incomplete in the end zone on the next play, but Chiefs safety Ron Parker was penalized for holding with the clock at zero.
Carr threw incomplete again, but another holding call, this one on Chiefs safety Eric Murray, extended the game for another play.
This time Carr hit Crabtree in the left corner of the end zone, and there were no flags.
“D.C. said: ‘Catch the ball,’” Crabtree said. “I went out there and made a play. We didn’t give up. We’ve got a team full of fighters.”
Carr completed 29 of 52 passes for 417 yards and three touchdowns as the Raiders snapped a five-game skid against the Chiefs, who lost their second straight.
Raiders wide receiver Amari Cooper caught 11 passes for 210 yards and two touchdowns. Cook added six catches for 107 yards.
“It’s great,” Cooper said of the victory. “A big part of football is momentum. Hopefully this game can create a rhythm for our team and we can start to get that momentum.”
Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith was 25 of 36 for 342 yards and three touchdowns. Kansas City wide receiver Tyreek Hill caught six passes for 125 yards and a 64-yard touchdown.
Running back Kareem Hunt rushed for 87 yards on 18 carries and caught four passes for 30 yards. He registered his seventh straight game with at least 100 total yards from scrimmage.
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