TAMPA, Fla. – The Raiders have a big game ahead. They play the Denver Broncos next Sunday night, a game magnified by a come-from-behind victory over Tampa Bay.
The Raiders are now 6-2 halfway through the year, with an astonishing five-game winning streak on the road.
The Broncos have also fared well in the first half, and the Raiders just keep winning important games.
They erased a double-digit lead and benefitted from a missed extra point that helped maintain a slim advantage.
The Buccaneers scored late but, as they always do, the Raiders responded.
They won this one 30-24, marking their fifth consecutive overtime victory.
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They could’ve won it in regulation, but Sebastian Janikowski missed a 50-yard field goal as time expired. Then he missed a go-ahead, 52-yard field goal in overtime.
Jack Del Rio didn’t give him a third try. They went for it on fourth down, and Derek Carr connected with Seth Roberts on a 41-yard touchdown pass that sealed the deal.
Another big win for the cardiac kids.
This win was the latest, needing overtime to find a way to win. Carr was awesome in this one, throwing for a franchise record of 513 yards and four touchdowns in the victory.
Tampa Bay jumped out to an early lead by doing what the Raiders normally do best. They turned a strip sack into a touchdown, after Noah Spence forced a fumble that the Raiders couldn’t recover.
Russell Shepard caught a 19-yard touchdown pass after that incident, which put the Buccaneers up 10-0.
The Raiders rallied in the second half, and jumped out to a lead late in the third quarter.
The Raiders scored 17 unanswered points, with a field goal to close the first half with two touchdowns in the second.
Donald Penn’s return to Tampa was marked in a special way, with the former Buccaneers left tackle scoring on a 1-yard touchdown catch.
Derek Carr found Amari Cooper from 34 yards out to establish a second-half lead, a play that culminated a seven-play, 67-yard drive in the third quarter.
The Buccaneers responded well, with another Jameis Winston touchdown pass to Cameron Brate. Roberto Aguayo missed the extra point, which kept Oakland ahead by a 17-16 score.
Jaquizz Rodgers ran it in from a yard out with roughly four minutes left in the game, completing a 10-play, 82-yard drive that put Tampa ahead at 24-17.
Sitting it out: Offensive tackle Menelik Watson missed his fifth straight game on Sunday dealing with a calf strain. The Raiders went with Austin Howard for a third straight game, though he allowed a key strip sack in the first half.
The other inactives were predictable, though Matt McCants was a relatively healthy scratch over Vadal Alexander.
What’s next: The Raiders will come home to play a big AFC West game against the Denver Broncos on Sunday night. It’ll be a welcome respite after so much time on the road in Florida. The bye week comes after that, as the Raiders strive to reach that spot without major injury.
