SportsDirect Inc. staff
Dec 21, 2014
Raiders 26, Bills 24: Derek Carr threw a pair of touchdown passes, including one to Jamize Olawale late in the fourth quarter, as Oakland extended its home winning streak to three games and eliminated Buffalo from playoff contention.
Carr completed 17-of-34 passes for 214 yards and fellow rookie Latavius Murray gained 86 yards on 23 carries for the Raiders (3-12), who remained unbeaten against Buffalo in Oakland since 1966. Kenbrell Thompkins made five catches for 90 yards and James Jones had a touchdown reception as the Raiders held on despite allowing a score with 1:09 remaining.
Kyle Orton was 32-of-49 for 329 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions for the Bills (8-7), who were unable to reach the postseason for the first time since 1999. Sammy Watkins, Scott Chandler and Robert Woods each hauled in a TD pass while Fred Jackson was limited to 10 yards on six rushes.
Orton connected with Watkins for a 42-yard touchdown less than six minutes into the game to give Buffalo the lead, but Carr answered with a 3-yard scoring toss to Jones on the first play of the second quarter. Sebastian Janikowski converted kicks of 45 and 36 yards to give Oakland a 13-7 advantage before Dan Carpenter booted a 54-yarder at the halftime buzzer to cut the deficit to three.
Janikowski continued to extend the lead in the third quarter, making field goals from 38 and 49 yards out, before Orton hit Chandler with a 29-yard scoring strike at the start of the fourth to get the Bills within 19-17. Carr created breathing room later in the quarter, completing a 51-yard pass down the right sideline to Andre Holmes on third-and-22 before tossing a 1-yard TD to Olawale with 2:51 remaining.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Bills DT Marcell Dareus suffered a knee injury in the first half and did not return. ... Buffalo's lone victory in its last 11 road meetings with the Raiders came on Dec. 8, 1991 in Los Angeles. ... Raiders CB Charles Woodson recorded his 60th career interception, becoming the 11th player in NFL history to reach the plateau. ... Orton hit Woods for his 100th career TD pass - a 30-yard strike with 69 seconds left in the fourth quarter - but Woodson recovered the onside kick to seal the win for Oakland.