Las Vegas Raiders clinch wild card spot with 35-32 OT win over Chargers

The Las Vegas Raiders capped off an unforgettable season with a wild 35-32 overtime win over the Los Angeles Chargers, punching their ticket to a wild card appearance.

The NFL historically schedules the final regular-season game to air in primetime with playoff implications on the line. Sunday night the stage was set at Allegiant Stadium, where the Las Vegas Raiders closed out the season against their AFC West rival Los Angeles Chargers.

Las Vegas kept their eyes on the rest of the league during the day, after a Colts loss to the Jaguars opened Pandora’s Box of playoff-clinching scenarios. Had the Steelers fallen to the Ravens, the Raiders would already be looking at a wild card berth. To add even more chaos to the mix, both Las Vegas and Los Angeles could technically enter the postseason under a tie Sunday night.

But with these two teams, the most likely scenario had to be: a win punches the ticket for the victor while leaving the other divisional rival packing home for the off-season.

It couldn’t possibly end in a tie right? For a second in the end, Raiders (and Steelers) and fans were pondering if this were about to become a reality.

Following a Daniel Carlson field goal to put Las Vegas on the board early, Hunter Renfrow continued his run as the Raiders’ bonafide top receiver. A Chargers muffed punt return gave the Raiders excellent field goal position, setting up a 12-yard touchdown pass from Derek Carr to Renfrow for the early 10-0 lead in the first quarter.

Los Angeles would not give up easily, and Austin Ekeler sparked the Chargers’ comeback with a touchdown on the ground and through the air, retaking the lead 14-10 in the second.

Commonly at the expense of penalties, the Raiders had a few go their way before the half, including a Chargers, pass interference to set up Las Vegas at the goal line. Josh Jacobs converted the go-ahead touchdown, helping Las Vegas take the lead 17-14 at halftime.

The Raiders took command in the second half, sparking a 12-0 run (courtesy of a second Hunter Renfrow touchdown) to build the lead to 29-14. The run was made possible by the stifling Las Vegas defense, which brought down Herbert three times on the night and picked him off once through the air.

And yet, it’s well known that Raiders games are not for the faint of heart, and it wouldn’t be a true game for the Silver and Black if the score didn’t come down to the literal final whistle. After a Herbert touchdown to Joshua Palmer cut the lead to seven, Los Angeles ran a successful two-minute drill to tie the game 29-29 after a last-second touchdown pass to Mike Williams.

After the possibility of a tie seemed unfathomable, both teams entered overtime deadlocked at 29 apiece.

Raiders hold on for wild game-clinching field goal in OT

Overtime was largely made possible after Justin Herbert led the Chargers to convert on incredible six-of-seven fourth-down opportunities, but the Raiders defense held on when it mattered most. After a Daniel Carlson field goal to start extra time, Las Vegas’ defense managed to hold Herbert and the Chargers to a subsequent field goal in their lone offensive drive.

Tied at 32 apiece, and with less than two minutes left with the clock winding down, was a tie about to come to fruition?

In the end, it was only right for there to be a winner of this outcome. After a Josh Jacobs run moved the chains for a first down, Las Vegas stopped the clock with seconds left in the regular season. From 47 yards out, Daniel Carlson punched the Raiders ticket to the postseason with a 35-32 win, avenging Las Vegas’ loss to the Chargers back in Week 4 and sending Los Angeles packing for the offseason.

Las Vegas now travels to face the Cincinnati Bengals in what will be the Raiders’ first postseason appearance since 2016. The Raiders fell 32-13 the last time these met at Allegiant Stadium in Week 11, though the Raiders may now have momentum on their side. Las Vegas is riding a four-game win streak into the wild card weekend, and while Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, and Joe Mixon will be a formidable matchup, the Raiders have simply already exceeded expectations by just being here.

After a plethora of adversity all year long, a wild season has been capped off with an achievement many deemed unthinkable: the Las Vegas Raiders are heading to the NFL playoffs.