A win and redemption for the Silver and Black

It took 16 games and 368 days but the Oakland Raiders finally have a win. On a rainy night in the Oakland Coliseum, Rookie quarterback Derek Carr delivered the most important pass in his young career, a nine yard touchdown throw to James Jones with just 1:42 left in the game to clinch a 24-20 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs. The drenched crowd exploded with joy, as if their team just won the Super Bowl, the black hole erupted, the players rushed the field, hugging, dancing, smiling and breathing a huge sigh of relief.

Finally, the winless tag washed away with the rain. For Carr it's redemption. Through the ten heartbreaking losses, he's been preaching positiveness, urging his teammates and fans to believe. And after the game, on national TV, his team gathered around him. Right there in front of everyone, they thanked each other and thanked God. Carr is a spiritual leader on a team not exactly aligned with the church.  After coming through on the field, Carr spoke from the heart. "I'm just so thankful and I praise God for this opportunity," said Carr. "I play for my faith and I play for others and I can't wait to see my teammates' smile." Smiles were easy to spot everywhere you looked.
The Raiders earned the win with a crippling defense, especially in the first half where the Silver and Black held the first place Chiefs to just 3 points. In that same half, Oakland was lead by the outstanding play of Latavius Murray who ran for two touchdowns on four carries totaling 112 yards before leaving the game with a concussion late in the second quarter. Murray would not return, but his contribution was exactly what interim head coach Tony Sparano has been waiting for. "We felt like we needed a big back in there as a change up, " said Sparano. "Latavius is a big back who can break some tackles and we wanted to see what he can do. When you run the ball the way he ran it today, he earns more snaps."
 An old friend of Bay Area football fans, quarterback Alex Smith fought back in the second half when the defense seemed to let up just a bit. Smith orchestrated two quick touchdown drives to tie the score at 17, then  a third drive culminated in a field goal and the first lead in the game for Kansas City. But Carr took control at the end of the game playing more like a veteran than a rookie covering 80 yards in 17 plays. A little rain and divine intervention at just the right time.