Raiders final drive contained several oddities

DENVER — Raiders running back DeAndré Washington aptly described the team’s 16-15 loss to the Broncos that closed the 2019 season.

“Some odd stuff was happening the whole game — it was just an odd game,” Washington said. “And we still had a chance at the end.”

Through three quarters, the Raiders had more than 300 yards of offense, but just three points. Had wide receiver Hunter Renfrow not come up with a three-yard touchdown reception with three seconds left, Oakland would have had more than 470 yards of offense with no touchdowns.

But once Brandon McManus missed a 57-yard field goal that would have given the Broncos a 10-point lead, the Raiders were in business from their own 47-yard line. And despite knowing that the team was officially out of playoff contention, quarterback Derek Carr said he felt good about the Raiders’ chances to win the game.

“Never any doubt,” Carr said. “(When) you have a chance to win the football game, there’s no doubt in my mind we’re going to win.”

Carr was somewhat right to be that confident. The Raiders did end up scoring a touchdown, but failed on their extra-point attempt when defensive end Shelby Harris got a hand on Carr’s pass to Renfrow at the line of scrimmage.

“Doggone Shelby Harris batted it down,” Raiders coach Jon Gruden said.

Carr said if Harris hadn’t made that play, it would have “100 percent” worked for the two-point conversion.

“Hunter ran the perfect route and was wide open,” Carr said. “I’m sure someone will blame me for that one, but you’ve got to give Shelby credit for making that play. It’s just tough in that situation.”

But the other weirdness from the drive stemmed from a fan jumping from the stands onto the field. Officials were reviewing a fourth-and-2 completion from Carr to Marcell Ateman when a fan made his way onto the field from the stands. While security was able to tackle the fan and arrest him, one security guard stayed on the field — obviously injured. The game was delayed for about five minutes as the officer was taken off the field on a cart.

“I guess he got shook out of his shoes, man — literally,” Washington said. “I hope he’s OK, though.”

Washington didn’t know it at the time, but security officials later confirmed to the Review-Journal that the injured man had broken his ankle.

Still, players were waiting to re-start a game that had 36 seconds left with a first-and-10 play from the 34.

“Guys were just trying to stay warm,” Washington said. “Maybe that had something to do with it, I don’t know. It was just an odd game, for sure.”

The Raiders evidently weren’t taken out of their rhythm, as Carr immediately connected with Renfrow for a 28-yard pass once play resumed. Two plays later, Carr hit Renfrow for a touchdown.

No, the Raiders didn’t come away victorious. But the resiliency the team showed despite all the game’s oddities to score late and potentially win the game is part of why players feel optimistic about the club’s prospects for 2020 in Las Vegas.

“I think we can all agree that there was a lot that went on around us, even from the beginning (of this season), and we just kind of kept our heads down and plugged away,” Carr said. “It didn’t end how we wanted it to, but I promise you that this organization is in great hands.”

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Contact Myles Simmons at msimmons@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0350. Follow @MylesASimmons on Twitter.