Las Vegas Raiders: Top 5 moments from the Derek Carr Era

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NEW ORLEANS, LA – SEPTEMBER 11: Derek Carr #4 of the Oakland Raiders celebrates after throwing a touchdown pass against the New Orleans Saints during the fourth quarter at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on September 11, 2016, in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images) /

Las Vegas Raiders: Top 5 moments from the Derek Carr Era

A Win That Set The Standard

In 2015 the Oakland Raiders finished with a 7-9 record and a team that was ready to explode. On offense, Derek Carr had taken massive steps forward from his rookie season and he was given an exciting pair of receivers in Michael Crabtree and Amari Cooper. Heading into 2016, expectations were high.

The first game of the 2016 season would be a match-up with the New Orleans Saints on the road. Consistently one of the NFL’s best offenses with Drew Brees under center, this would be a good early season test for the ascending Raiders.

After going down 24-10 in the third quarter, fans would have been forgiven if they thought this was going to be the same old Raiders. Instead, the offense went to work and stormed back to tie the game 27-27 after a pair of rushing touchdowns from Jamize Olawale and Jalen Richard. Still, Carr found himself losing the game 34-27 late in the fourth.

Following many big throws to keep the game-saving drive alive, Carr found Seth Roberts over the middle for a touchdown. However, instead of kicking the extra point for the tie and forcing overtime, the offense stayed on the field to go for two. In a risky play call, Carr lofted the ball to the corner for Michael Crabtree and he came down with a game-winning catch.

Throughout the rest of the magical 2016 season, comeback wins became something of a regularity. En route to a 12-4 record, eight of those games were won late in the fourth quarter. As mentioned, this became one of the things Carr was known for and this game kicked off one of the most memorable seasons in team history.

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