#raidernews

The Detroit Lions had a chance to be the only NFC North team to register a victory this week, but instead fell to the Oakland Raiders, 31-24. Oakland has proved a difficult matchup for most teams this season and has propelled themselves into playoff contention in the AFC.

"I just love this team. I love this organization so much." That's our quarterback. #RaiderNation (@NFLonFOX) pic.twitter.com/T00Fx6vJoc

— Oakland Raiders (@Raiders) 8 novembre 2019

In a matchup dominated by offense, who would have guessed that this game would come down to a goal-line stand? Matthew Stafford took the Lions 76 yard down the field on nine plays with just two minutes remaining, but he failed to connect with Logan Thomas in the end zone on fourth-and-goal. While he made some questionable decisions in the second half, Stafford still finished with 406 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception. His top two wideouts were huge for him, as Kenny Golladay and Marvin Jones Jr. both had over 100 yards and a touchdown each.

Derek Carr's 289 yards and two touchdowns aren't going to stand out in the box score, but he was simply fantastic. He was effective as a game manager and kept the chains moving. A.J. Cole only punted twice in this matchup.

Rookie running back Josh Jacobs had another great outing, and rushed for 120 yards and two touchdowns on 28 carries. According to the Raiders' official website, Jacobs passed Marcus Allen's rookie record for rushing yards this Sunday. Through Week 9, Jacobs is arguably the leading candidate to win the NFL's Rookie of the Year honor.

The Raiders have been away from home since Sept. 15, and they delivered their fans a big victory in their homecoming.

Why the Raiders won

While Jacobs was incredible and the defense stood tall in the fourth quarter, we have to give credit to Carr. He threw for 136 yards and two touchdowns in the second half, both of those scores coming in the fourth quarter. After the Lions tied the game at 17 apiece, Carr orchestrated a nine-play, 80-yard drive that ended with a Foster Moreau touchdown. After the Lions tied the game 24-all, Carr again stepped up, and led the offense on a seven-play, 75-yard drive which ended with a nine-yard touchdown pass to rookie Hunter Renfrow. Carr was poised and came up big when it mattered. His defense held Stafford in check for most of the second half, and Carr was able to take advantage. In all, a great team win.

Why the Lions lost

The Lions simply just didn't come through when it mattered most. The defense allowed the Raiders to score both of their fourth-quarter touchdowns on third-and-goal and then Stafford couldn't tie the game on fourth-and-goal, even after being gifted a timeout that allowed the offense an extra minute to reassess the situation. Detroit battled throughout the entire matchup, but oftentimes these games can come down to the final drive or the final play. The Lions understand this by now, as they lost to the Kansas City Chiefs and Green Bay Packers just because of how the final drive went.

Turning Point

It was hard to distinguish a turning point in this one. The game came down to the very last play, when Stafford failed to hook up with tight end Logan Thomas in the end zone. Even before that play, Raiders head coach Jon Gruden inexplicably called a timeout while the Lions were hurrying to the line of scrimmage for fourth-and-goal with a running clock below 10 seconds. He gave the Lions a chance to regroup and run a final play. If Stafford had scored on that fourth-and-goal, Gruden would have received a good amount of flak for his decision. Another thing worth mentioning -- it's unclear if Thomas was the primary option on that final play. Sure, he has great size and length, but with options like Golladay and Jones, Thomas shouldn't be in the discussion. Then again, Stafford was under pressure and had to make a split-second decision.

Play of the Game

Everyone loves a good fake punt, and this one was especially pretty because of the design. Gruden made a gutsy decision to call this fake on his own 38-yard line, and it ended up working out.