Clelin Ferrell makes up for lost time in standout effort

Clelin Ferrell took it personally watching the Raiders lose both games he missed due to a bout with COVID-19.

He wasn’t about to let the losing streak reach three in his return on Sunday.

“Obviously when you have the game taken away from you, anytime you get a chance to step back on the field, you’re happy to contribute and help the team by making some plays,” said Ferrell, who forced two fumbles on sacks Sunday. “I felt like part of the reason we lost the last two games was because I wasn’t playing. So it was good just to be a part of it and make some plays so we could get the win.”

It was the first two sacks of the season for Ferrell, a first-round pick out of Clemson in 2019. He had 4.5 sacks as a rookie last year, but had failed to get to the quarterback this season even though he has been a steady performer at the line of scrimmage.

“I wouldn’t call it a breakout,” Ferrell said. “I feel like I’ve had a number of good games so far. … I feel like I’ve gotten close on some pressures, been robbed of a few things here and there. Bu it was good to come out and not just get sacks, but strip sacks that turned into turnovers for our team. I’m just trying to build on that.”

Ferrell is just the the second player to record two strip sacks in an NFL game this season, joining Kansas City’s Chris Jones, who did it against Baltimore in September. Tommy Kelly was the last Raiders player to accomplish the feat back in 2005.

It was Ferrell’s second career multi-sack game and first since Week 10 of the 2019 season.

His six tackles were also a season-high.

“I also realize I have a lot to work on. I think I looked good in the pass game today, but I have to play better against the run,” Ferrell said. “It was hard to enjoy because the game was so much of a sway of emotions the whole time. I know Raiders fans had to be tripping the whole time. It was crazy.”

According to NextGenStats, Ferrell posted a career-high 37.5 percent pass-rush win rate on Sunday, far eclipsing his previous best 23.5 percent against the Chargers in Week 9.

Comeback kid

Sunday’s victory marked the 20th time Derek Carr has led the Raiders to a fourth-quarter comeback since he was drafted by the team in 2014.

That sets an NFL record for the most such victories in a player’s first seven seasons.

It’s his 19th comeback win since 2015, the most in the NFL over that time.

Carr also surpassed the 3,000-yard and 20-touchdown marks for the season with 381 yards and three touchdowns Sunday, making Carr just the fifth player in NFL history to reach those plateaus in six of his first seven seasons.

Peyton Manning, Russell Wilson, Eli Manning and Dan Marino are the others.

Arnette leaves early

Damon Arnette left the game in the first quarter for the second consecutive week.

The Raiders’ cornerback suffered a concussion and neck injury while making a tackle early in the game against the Falcons.

He suffered a similar fate after a big collision with Jets’ running back Frank Gore on the second play of the game on Sunday.

Arnette was evaluated for a concussion and ruled out for the rest of the game.

Coach Jon Gruden is expected to update his condition on Monday.

Linebackers step up

After a slow start to the season, Nick Kwiatkowski has become a consistent presence on the defense.

He tied safety Jeff Heath for the team lead with seven tackles on Sunday, making the seventh consecutive game he has recorded at least five stops.

Nicholas Morrow added a sack to become the first Raiders’ linebacker to have multiple sacks in a season since Bruce Irvin in 2017.

Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on Twitter.