TAMPA, Fla. (AP) - The Oakland Raiders have unwavering faith in Derek Carr.
“It’s always great when you trust, and that trust is rewarded,” coach Jack Del Rio said after Seth Roberts turned Carr’s fourth-down pass into a 41-yard touchdown in overtime, giving the AFC West co-leaders a 30-24 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday.
“That builds confidence,” Del Rio added of Carr, who finished with a franchise-record 513 yards passing and four touchdowns, “and we’ll continue to grow as a football team.”
The Raiders (6-2) improved to 5-0 on the road for the first time since 1977. But what’s more surprising is they did it by overcoming a NFL-record 23 penalties for 200 yards.
Sebastian Janikowski missed a 50-yard field goal that would have won it on the final play of regulation, then misfired from 52 yards for the potential lead in OT.
“They tried to give us the game - two missed field goals and all those penalties,” Tampa Bay tackle Demar Dotson said. “We didn’t take it.”
Carr broke the Raiders’ 52-year-old record for yards passing in a game, joining Y.A. Tittle and Ben Roethlisberger as the only players in league history to throw for 500-plus yards, four or more touchdowns and no interceptions.
The third-year pro said he got so emotional that he nearly broke into tears when he learned he replaced Cotton Davidson (427 yards, 1964) in the record book.
“Not in a weird way, just like that’s stuff you dream of as a kid,” Carr said. “I’m just blessed.”
Roberts was trying to pick up a first down on fourth-and-3, but got much more when defenders Jude Adjei-Barimah and Bradley McDougald lunged and missed the tackle around the Tampa Bay 30.
Amari Cooper had 12 receptions for 173 yards and one TD . Carr also threw scoring passes to offensive tackle and ex-Buc Donald Penn and Mychal Rivera, while Michael Crabtree had eight catches for 108 yards.
The Raiders amassed 626 yards total offense, dominating time of possession for more than 15 minutes, running 85 plays to Tampa Bay’s 61.
Carr was 40 of 59 passing and was sacked twice, with one of them resulting in a fumble that led to a first-quarter touchdown that put Tampa Bay up 10-0.
“It was an awesome performance,” Del Rio said. “I’ve seen some good ones. I think we’ll continue to see good ones from him. He’s very confident. He’s got some weapons that he’s utilizing.”
Some things to know about the Raiders and Bucs:
JAMEIS SPUTTERS: Jameis Winston led an early field goal drive and threw a 19-yard TD pass to Russell Shepherd for a 10-0 lead, but struggled over most of the final three quarters. He finished 16 of 32 for 180 yards and received plenty of help from the Raiders (penalties) in getting the Bucs in the end zone twice in the fourth quarter. Tampa Bay had the ball twice in overtime, both 3-and-outs. “That’s a good defense. They lead the NFL in road wins. They squeezed one out,” Winston said. “I felt our team fought hard. If you’re going to lose, lose like that.”
FLAGS, FLAGS AND MORE FLAGS: The Raiders hurt themselves repeatedly with penalties, including a delay of game on first-and-goal from the Tampa Bay 3 and an offensive pass interference call against WR Michael Crabtree that nullified a touchdown. They wound up settling for Sebastian Janikowski’s 31-yard field goal that trimmed a second-quarter deficit to 10-3. Oakland was penalized four times, twice on third-and-1 for lining up with 12 men on defense, during the fourth-quarter drive Winston used to put Tampa Bay up 24-17. “I can’t believe it, but it just shows the resilience of this team. We just have to work to clean that up,” Cooper said. “We can’t be a championship team like that, so we have to clean that up. Definitely.”
DID YA SEE THAT?: Raiders OL Donald Penn was with the Bucs for eight years before being released after the 2013 season. His 1-yard TD made it 10-10 early in the third quarter. The 315-pound tackle crossed his arms and struck a pose for the announced crowd of 61,058. “I had to let them know they made a big mistake in cutting me,” Penn said. “I had to let them know I’m back.”
HOME WOES: While the Raiders are 5-0 on the road for the first time since 1977, the Bucs continue to struggle at home, where they are 0-3 this year, 3-16 since the start of the 2014 season.
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