Last Game between Tennessee Titans and Oakland Raiders

Tennessee Titans

Nashville, TN – Derek Carr passed for 330 yards and three touchdowns, including the game-winner with less than two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, helping the Oakland Raiders exit a soggy Nissan Stadium with a 24-21 victory over the Tennessee Titans on Sunday, November 29th, 2015.

Carr completed 24 of 37 passes without throwing an interception on a rainy afternoon in which his counterpart, Titans rookie quarterback Marcus Mariota, was victimized by two costly interceptions. Mariota’s second pickedoff pass came in Oakland territory with 43 seconds on the clock to end the Titans’ hopes of pulling out a dramatic win.

The Titans defense had trouble finding an answer for Carr and wide receivers Amari Cooper and Seth Roberts. Cooper led all receivers with seven catches for 115 yards, while Roberts’ six receptions went for 113 yards and a pair of scores.

Roberts was on the receiving end of Carr’s final touchdown pass of the day, a 12-yarder that was preceded by a fourth-down defensive holding call on the Titans.

The Titans built an initial lead in the first quarter before the heavy rains began to fall. Following a pair of three-and-outs, they marched 88 yards on five plays. Mariota found tight end Delanie Walker for a 36-yard gain, and shortly thereafter an unnecessary roughness penalty on the Raiders moved the Titans further.

On the next play, Mariota and tight end Craig Stevens connected for a 20-yard touchdown pass. However, the extra point was blocked by Denico Autry, causing the first missed extra point of kicker Ryan Succop’s career and the Titans’ first missed extra point since the 2005 season finale.

Not to be outdone, Carr and the Raiders responded with a seven-play, 77-yard series to grab the lead, jumpstarted by a 38-yard reception by Roberts.

To cap the drive, Carr tossed a seven-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Michael Crabtree.

The Raiders used the majority of the clock in the second quarter on a single drive. Beginning at their own four-yard line, they nearly marched the length of the field. Cooper caught a 30-yard pass on third down, the first of three third-down conversions on the drive. But they were unsuccessful on third-and-goal and settled for a 24-yard field goal by Sebastian Janikowski to make the score 10-6 in their favor.

In the third quarter, as the rain intensified, the teams exchanged touchdowns. First, the Raiders used a 41-yard reception by Cooper to set up a 10-yard touchdown catch on third down by Roberts.

Then it was the Titans’ turn, as they drove 80 yards on nine plays, including four carries by Antonio Andrews for 24 yards. Mariota completed a 17-yard pass to tight end Anthony Fasano, and two plays later, he found Harry Douglas for a 13-yard touchdown. Trailing 17-12 after the touchdown, the Titans went for the two-point conversion and got it on Mariota’s pass to Dorial Green-Beckham.

Immediately thereafter, the Titans got the first turnover of the game but failed to take advantage of it. Tre McBride forced a fumble on Jeremy Ross’ kickoff return, and Daimion Stafford pounced on it to give the Titans possession at Oakland’s 18-yard line. However, an offensive pass interference penalty negated a 10-yard reception by Walker, and on the next play, Mariota threw his first interception to cornerback David Amerson.

The Titans did capitalize on their next takeaway. In the fourth quarter, Carr lost control of a snap, and defensive end DaQuan Jones recovered the ball at the Oakland 42-yard line. Subsequently, Andrews converted a third-and-11 with a 14-yard reception—the team’s first third-down conversion of the game—and Mariota threw a one-yard touchdown pass to fullback Jalston Fowler.

The Titans were up 21-17 with 4:41 remaining in the game, but the lead would not stand. From Oakland’s 10-yard line, Cooper caught a 16-yard pass to ignite the game-winning march, and Roberts picked up 31 more yards on a pass from Carr. On fourth-and-eight from the Tennessee 36-yard line, Carr’s intended pass for Andre Holmes fell incomplete.

However, cornerback B.W. Webb was flagged away from the play for holding, giving the Raiders new life. Tight end Mychal Rivera posted a 19-yard catch, and on the next snap,
Roberts caught the game-winner with the clock at 1:21.

The Titans had a final opportunity to tie or take the lead. But after moving near midfield on a 27-yard reception by Walker, safety Nate Allen intercepted Mariota to seal the Titans’ fate.

Box Score

Oakland Raiders 24 at Tennessee Titans 21
Sunday, November 29th, 2015
Nissan Stadium, Nashville, TN