Panthers place Oher on IR; Kuechly, Kalil out vs. Oakland

Safety Kurt Coleman said Oakland quarterback Derek Carr, a legitimate NFL MVP candidate this season, is “like a point guard getting the ball to his playmakers”. That’s when Khalil Mack said nuu-uh. He’s still in concussion protocol after being carted off the field late in the fourth quarter last Thursday.

MACK’S MOMENT: Mack made a big play late in the first half when he fought off a block and leaped to intercept a short pass from Newton.

The Raiders (9-2) have lived by that motto to move to the top of the standings in the AFC.

Carr immediately led the Raiders on a 75-yard drive on 10 plays, hitting Walford for a 12-yard TD. He fought off contact that drew a pass interference penalty to make a 49-yard reception that flipped the field.

The Oakland Raiders (8-2) defeated the Houston Texans, 27-20, last week.

Carr missed a series before returning to the game with an glove on his throwing hand.

CLUTCH CARR: Carr led his fifth fourth-quarter comeback of the season and 10th in his three-year career. Cooper ranks third in receiving yards and Crabtree ranks third in touchdowns. I’m going to keep working hard. Derek Carr completed 21 of 31 passes for 295 yards and three touchdowns against one interception.

After a failed two-point conversion, the Raiders were up 24-19 in the third quarter. Adding insult to injury, the Raiders fumbled on the play and Carolina recovered. With a pretty 44-yard touchdown pass to Kelvin Benjamin, the Panthers led 32-24 after kicking an extra point. The Raiders are coming off a Monday night game in Mexico City.

He played the first three games of the season but two days prior to the team’s October 2 game against the Atlanta Falcons he unexpectedly reported to work with concussion-like symptoms.

“We’ve got make sure we’re on point right now”, Raiders left tackle Donald Penn said.

The Panthers need Cam Newton to step up against the Raiders and Seahawks. It will be an arduous task, as both Oakland (8-2) and Seattle (7-2-1) lead their respective divisions and will nearly surely make the playoffs.

Stopping the Raiders is never easy, but Carolina will have to do it without their defensive MVP and playcaller, middle linebacker Luke Kuechly. It was a tale of two halves for the Panthers, and this game as a whole. But he returned, shook off two bad drives and led the Raiders to the victory. He finished with 315 yards and two touchdowns.

Explaining the third-down play, Olsen said: “I’d like to have that one back obviously, too”.

So while there are many ways Carolina hasn’t measured up to past year – the lack of a dominant run game being the biggest – the Raiders aren’t relaxing.