Raiders Hold on to Beat Panthers for First Winning Season Since 2002

Welcome in to the full recap of the Raiders Week 12 matchup vs. the Carolina Panthers where the Raiders pull it out yet again in a roller coaster thriller, beating the Panthers 32-35 and posting their first winning season since 2002, standing at 9-2.

I'm not lying to you when I say this, I have some tear drops falling while I'm posting this recap. I was 9 years old the last time the Raiders had a winning record. I've had blurry memories on those days with Rich Gannon, Tim Brown, Jerry Rice, Jerry Porter, Zack Crockett, Tyrone Wheatley, Charles Woodson. Season after season, they've gone 4-12 and 5-11. Throw in some 2-14, 3-13, 7-9, and 8-8 when Lechler and Sebass were arguably the best players on the roster. Too many player turnovers with Randy Moss, Warren Sapp, Andrew Walter, JaMarcus Russell, Bruce Gradkowski, Justin Fargas, Robert Gallery, Richard Seymour, Darrius Heyward-Bey, Roland McClain, Darren McFadden, etc. And too many coaching turnovers with Norv Turner, Tom Cable, Lane Kiffin, Art Shell, Dennis Allen, etc. Just looking at that list leaves you with some nostalgia and a lot of pain inside. Now, you can put that all to rest! Add this game to the list of polarizing victories this season. The first half, the Raiders looked dominant. They were gonna run the Panthers out of town. Then, the third quarter happened when Carr dislocated his pinky. Not the sight you want to see, but never underestimate his toughness in finishing the game out. The Raiders have overcome a lot of adversity in the 4th quarter. To them, this was normal. Blew a 17 point lead? No problem. Win the game by 3. Great win.

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Derek Carr, 26 of 38 passes, 315 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT. Carr is a certified tough guy. That's the Mamba Mentality that Carr has. If you're a Laker fan and Raider fan like myself you'd understand how Kobe played. Didn't matter if he had foot injuries, knee injuries, finger dislocation, he still played through the pain and willed the Lakers to a victory. There's nothing that can hold this "Carr" down. He was solid throughout the whole game, especially in the first half. Then after that pinky injury, he did throw a pick to Thomas Davis, but he still kept playing and as usual, laid it all out on the field to keep this team rolling to their first winning season.

Khalil Mack, 5 tackles, 1 strip sack, 1 fumble recovery, 1 INT, 1 TD. Whew, that's a lot of stats from Mack. Like I said, I was fired up when Mack had that pick 6 off a Cam Newton screen pass. He could've totaled a lot more sacks, but he kept feasting on the Panthers' O-line and applying a lot of pressure on Newton. There's nothing much to be said with Mack. He is a beast. And when Mario Edwards and Aldon Smith come back, he's definitely going to turn it on in the sacks. This game, he showed he can do it all.

Michael Crabtree, 8 receptions, 110 yards. Oh no, Crabtree has played like garbage the last two games. As Aaron Rodgers would say: "R-E-L-A-X." He did promise he was going to come back strong after the last game and he lived up to it. Crabtree, the best hands in the league, was back this game. And talk about a clutch catch from Derek Carr's deep ball to put Jano within field goal range to win the game. Give the "King Clutch" title back to King Crab!

Bruce Irvin, 3 tackles, 1 sack. Before Cam Newton goes to sleep, he checks under his bed for Bruce Irvin. Aside from Von Miller, Irvin has been a thorn on the side for Newton. This dates back to the Seattle Seahawks days. The stats sheet might show Irvin had a quiet game, but he was applying a lot pressure on the edge to make Newton as uncomfortable as can be.

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The third quarter. Yes, momentum swung in the favor when Derek Carr got hurt for a brief moment. But, if anything, the team as whole has to keep playing at that moment. Keep the momentum going forward instead of giving it up. As mentioned, the Panthers scored 18 unanswered points. Hopefully this young team learns to play regardless of the situation, especially when the franchise quarterback gets hurt.

Running game. Once again, the running game gets stuffed by a very big, physical D-line. We have to give credit to the Panthers' defense in that category. The one silver lining is that they gave up a goal line TD to Murray, but other than that, their run defense played lights out.

Secondary. Oh man, I saw T.J. Carrie getting burned. Sean Smith got burned, although he did play an "OK" game. Antonio Hamilton was on the field when D.J. Hayden got hurt. Speaking of Hayden, we might as well change his name P.I. Hayden. He's solid when he's a nickel corner at best. Considering Amerson was inactive, it was frustrating watching the secondary give up big plays to keep Carolina hanging.

MVP

Khalil Mack 5 tackles, 1 sack, 1 fumble recovery, INT, TD

"No doubt." "By any means!" First defensive player on the board in my MVP list this season and it couldn't be more fitting. Mack formally introduced himself to Cam Newton this game and he gets his first pick 6 and 1st fumble recovery off a strip sack. The Untamable Beast!




Conclusion

9-2! Say it with me now, 9-2! Regardless what happens this season, this is going to be something to remember. There are a lot of football games left though to get to the "P word." Hopefully Carr's finger turns out to be okay because we're gonna need him for the stretch run. This team gives us heart attacks, but as long as they win in the end it doesn't matter. Now addressing the elephant in the room: the NFL could decide on Aldon Smith's reinstatement possibly on Friday because that's the expiration date of his 60-day reinstatement window. With no Mario Edwards in sight, this news could give the defense the spark they need to play better solid football. So stay tuned for that. But, five games left. The Raiders' remaining road games are against division rivals and they get Buffalo next week and Indianapolis on Christmas Eve. Next week's matchup could be a trap game because the Raiders could be caught looking ahead to the pivotal Thursday Night rematch vs. the Chiefs in Kansas City. But as long as they continue to take it one game at a time, the sky is the limit. Happy days are here again. The Raiders have compiled a winning season finally! Now let's keep the train rolling! Just keep chalking up those W's! I'll see you guys next week for the game against the Buffalo Bills.