Raiders 35, Panthers 32

When the Raiders took over again, the Panthers forced a three and out with pressure by Tre Boston.

“I’m good. I’m good to go”, Carr said after the game. Crabtree caught eight passes for 110 yards. The defense was stout. But at this point, the touchdown was the least of concerns for Raider Nation.

Newton, whose QB rating was 4.9, did run in Carolina’s only touchdown before the half.

Newton completed two quick passes to get the ball to the Oakland 44 with 1:15 to play.

Or did you miss what happened to the Raiders after he apparently dislocated his right pinkie finger on a snap from center Rodney Hudson early in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s eventual 35-32 defeat of the Carolina Panthers?

It wasn’t just Carr who responded to the challenge.

Both turnovers were especially costly in that they were converted into touchdowns. But Sunday, the Panthers couldn’t score more than a touchdown in the first half, yet 25 points in the third quarter.

“In retrospect you could say we could keep going with it and keep trying to kick ’em, but we started chasing points, we had to try to make that up”, Rivera said. After the game, Curry had to wear a Carr jersey after losing a bet.

Panthers linebacker Thomas Davis recovered at the Oakland 30, and Carr went to the locker room. The Panthers seemed to be ready for a solid drive following that, until Kelvin Benjamin caught a crucial 3rd down reception just short of the first down.

The Panthers weren’t done either. The Titans (6-6) gave their playoff hopes a boost, though they watched as Chicago (2-9) cut a 20-point lead to six in the fourth quarter.

Cam Newton then more than quadrupled his passing yardage on one throw as he hit Ted Ginn Jr. over the middle of the field for an 88-yard score.

It was now or never for the Raiders. He threw a 17-yard laser to tight end Clive Walford that relieved sideline stress.

They drove to the 5-yard-line, draining the clock, and added a field goal for a 35-32 lead with 1:45 remaining.

“By any means – by any means necessary”, Mack said after the game.

He got in for a pressure to force an incompletion.

Cincinnati got a safety on the final play when Baltimore punter Sam Koch ran out of the end zone while his blockers intentionally held Cincinnati rushers.

Every great player has a career defining game.

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

A divisional-round rematch awaits the Panthers in Week 13, as they play the Seattle Seahawks.