Here are the top 5 Raiders games played at Allegiant Stadium
The opening of Allegiant Stadium in the summer of 2020 was a game-changer for the sports scene in southern Nevada.
From the arrival of the NFL with the Raiders to major college football and soccer events and eventually the Super Bowl and Final Four, the venue has already delivered on its promise and more in the brief time it has been in existence.
And there have already been some memorable moments in both sports and music.
So as the three-year anniversary of the stadium approaches, it’s time to take a look at the top five Raiders games that have taken place at Allegiant while ignoring the litany of concerts and other sporting events that have taken place there for the purposes of this list.
It also excludes perhaps the most memorable single moment of the 2022 season, the walk-off return touchdown by Chandler Jones against the Patriots, because the game was fairly forgettable up until that point.
So here are the six best Raiders games after three years in their new home:
5. Sept. 13, 2021
Raiders 33, Ravens 27 (OT)
Derek Carr connected with Zay Jones for a 31-yard game-winning touchdown in the extra session to cap a wild first-ever regular-season game with fans at Allegiant Stadium on Monday Night Football.
After Daniel Carlson capped a frenzied final 9:20 of regulation that saw the Raiders score 17 points with a 55-yard field goal in the closing seconds, the Raiders thought they had won the game in overtime with a long touchdown pass to Bryan Edwards only to have replay overturn the call and rule him down at the 1-yard line. A stuffed quarterback sneak and a false start by Alex Leatherwood moved the ball back and a Carr pass to Willie Snead IV went through his hands and was intercepted.
Then Carl Nassib forced a Lamar Jackson fumble and Carr found Jones. This time, it counted.
4. Sept. 18, 2022
Cardinals 29, Raiders 23 (OT)
A game best-remembered for Kyler Murray’s unbelievable 2-point conversion ended when Byron Murphy Jr. returned a Hunter Renfrow fumble 59 yards for a touchdown.
The Cardinals trailed 20-0 at halftime and outscored the Raiders 16-0 in the second half, including a touchdown and 2-point conversion on the final play of regulation.
3. Nov. 22, 2020
Chiefs 35, Raiders 31
The longtime rivals traded the lead four times in the fourth quarter, including twice in the final two minutes, before Kansas City ultimately escaped with a Sunday Night Football victory in their first visit to Allegiant Stadium.
Carr hoped he had done enough when he found Jason Witten for a 1-yard touchdown pass with 1:43 to play, but the Raiders left Patrick Mahomes too much time.
The Chiefs drove the field to set up a 22-yard scoring pass from Mahomes to a wide open Travis Kelce to avoid what would have been the Raiders’ first season sweep of Kansas City since 2012.
2. Dec. 26, 2020
Dolphins 26, Raiders 25,
The FitzMagic game.
Ryan Fitzpatrick, who entered the game in relief of Tua Tagovailoa, connected with future Raiders wide receiver Mack Hollins for a 34-yard pass down the left sideline despite his helmet being completely spun around by pass-rusher Arden Key in the closing seconds.
The 15-yard penalty moved the Dolphins into position to kick the game-winning field goal on a drive that started at their own 25 with just 19 seconds remaining.
The dramatic play brought additional scrutiny to coach Jon Gruden’s decision to pass up the chance for a short touchdown to instead run down the clock and kick a go-ahead field goal in the final minute.
It was just the second time in the last 20 years a team took over that deep in their own territory trailing a game with less than 30 seconds remaining and drove to win the game.
1. Jan. 9, 2022
Raiders 35, Chargers 32 (OT)
An easy decision for the top spot as the game was not only one of the best games of that entire season in the league, but also gave the Raiders a rare playoff berth.
The Raiders and Chargers could have both qualified for the postseason by simply settling for a tie, but Daniel Carlson made sure only his team would advance with a 47-yard field goal as time expired in the extra session.
Carlson’s boot followed a still-debated timeout call by the Chargers with 38 seconds remaining when it looked like the Raiders may actually just allow the clock to run out on the tie.
The drama was only necessary because Justin Herbert somehow found a way to convert multiple fourth downs to rally the Chargers from a 29-14 deficit with less than five minutes remaining in regulation.
It was one for the ages.
Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on Twitter.
