Derek Carr’s big game about ‘remembering who I was’, other Raiders superlatives in win over Chiefs

The more I look at this game, the more it seems like the Raiders over the past four weeks have been like a dam ready to burst. Who knows whether they were holding it back intentionally or not. The Chiefs have been a monkey on their back for a while, so it’s possible, but hopefully it’s the start of something.

The win snapped a 4-game losing streak this season and a 5-game losing streak to the Chiefs dating back to 2014. To get it, the game featured 8 lead changes which is the most of any game in the NFL this season.

Whatever it was, Derek Carr led the way, exploding for 417 yards passing and 3 touchdowns. That is the second most passing yards in Carr’s career, and his most in a regulation game. The third went to Michael Crabtree with time expired, capping off a two-minute drill to seal the win.

He started even more impressive, going 3-for-3 for 74 yards on his opening drive which culminated in a 38-yard touchdown to WR Amari Cooper.

That touchdown pass was the 90th of Carr’s career, becoming the first quarterback in NFL history to throw at least 90 touchdowns and less than 40 interceptions in his first 53 games.

The way the season has gone the past four weeks for Carr, no one knew when he might get badck to the player we had come to know.

“My main focus coming into today was making sure I knew who I was, remembering who I was and having fun,” said Carr. “That’s everything that I stressed to my teammates. . . I told my teammates that I loved them, but it’s time to have some fun. I think all of Oakland was able to have some fun tonight”

More than half of Carr’s big passing numbers went to Amari Cooper, who had also been having a rough go of it this season.

Cooper also got started early, scoring the Raiders’ first two touchdowns from 38 and 45 yards out. The second touchdown made Cooper the only play in the NFL this season to have two 30-plus-yard touchdowns in the same game. It was also Coop’s first multi-TD game since 2015.

On a 14-yard catch in the second quarter, Cooper had surpassed 100 yards (109), becoming the first Raiders player this season to eclipse 100 yards either on the ground or through the air.

Cooper’s 210 receiving yards in the game is the second-most receiving yards in a game in club history and the first since 1963 when Art Powell had 247 yards on 10 receptions on Dec. 22, 1963, against the Houston Oilers.

Other superlatives

Jared Cook compiled the third-most single-game receiving yardage in his career (107), while crossing the 100-yard barrier for the first time as a Raider.

Four days after signing with the Raiders, NaVorro Bowman led the team with 11 combined tackles (6 solo).

Michael Crabtree’s game-winning TD was his sixth of the season which is tied for the most in the NFL.

Marquette King’s first punt of the day traveled 45 yards and was downed at the 1-yard line by WR Cordarrelle Patterson. The punt inside the 5-yard line tied King for the NFL lead with three such punts.

Khalil Mack had a half sack in the game, giving him 4.5 on the season which is tied for 12th in the league.

Donald Penn extended his starting streak to 163 games, the second-most among active lineman in the NFL.