Carr, Stabler Helped Raiders to Slim All-Time Margin Vs. Saints
The Las Vegas Raiders will try to win two straight games for the first time this season when they go on the road to play the New Orleans Saints on Sunday at Caesars Superdome in The Big Easy.
The Raiders (2-4), who are coming off a 38-20 victory over the Houston Texans last Sunday at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, lead the all-time series, 7-6-1, and beat the Saints (2-5) the last two times the teams met, after losing three in a row.
On Week 2 of the 2020 season, quarterback Derek Carr outdueled Drew Brees by passing for 284 yards and touchdowns of three yards to fullback Alec Ingold, 15 yards to wide receiver Zay Jones and one yard to tight end Darren Waller as the Raiders rallied from a 10-0 deficit in the first quarter for a 34-24 victory in their first-ever game at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
However, there were no fans in the stadium because of Coronavirus Pandemic.
“This organization means everything to me,” said Carr, who did not throw an interception. “They’ve stuck behind me through some hard times. Through some times our team, we struggled, there’s no doubt about it. But when you can get on the other side of things, be 2-0, as the Las Vegas Raiders, that’s a pretty cool thing. We would just like to have our fans here.”
Brees passed for 312 yards and a six-yard touchdown to tight end Jared Cook but threw an interception to linebacker Nicholas Morrow late in the first half that led to a 32-yard field goal by Daniel Carlson, who also kicked a 54-yarder to clinch the victory with 1:55 left in the game.
The last time the Raiders and Saints played before that was in the 2016 opener when Carr threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Seth Roberts with 47 seconds remaining in the game and then threw a two-point conversion pass to wide receiver Michael Crabtree that gave the Silver and Black a thrilling, 35-34 victory before 73,028 at the Superdome.
The Raiders overcame a 24-10 deficit in the third quarter, not to mention 423 yards and four touchdowns by Brees, as Carr passed for 319 yards and put the Silver and Black in position to win with a two-point conversion pass to wide receiver Amari Cooper after running back Jalen Richard ran 75 yards for a touchdown midway through the final quarter
"I'm not a gambler, but I do believe in having the courage to do what I think is best for this football team,” Raiders Coach Jack Del Rio said of the gutsy two-point conversion call. “Good or bad, I’m willing to do that when I’m doing what in my gut I believe is the right thing. Part of that was showing the belief in our football team -- showing the belief in Derek Carr, showing the belief in Michael Crabtree, showing the belief in our group to go down and do the things we needed to do to win that game.”
The Saints had one last chance, but Will Lutz missed a 61-yard field goal attempt on the final play.
As exciting as that game was, longtime members of Raider Nation probably remember most the Monday Night Football Game the Silver and Black played against the Saints before 71,323 at the Superdome in Week 14 of the 1979 season.
Future Hall of Fame quarterback Kenny “Snake” Stabler was having one of his worst games with the Raiders, throwing two interceptions and nearly another one, in addition to losing a fumble as the Saints built a 28-14 halftime lead.
Things got worse in the third quarter when Stabler’s pass was tipped at the line of scrimmage and intercepted by 230-pound linebacker Ken Bordelon, who ran Snake over on his way to a 19-yard touchdown to make it 35-14.
Stabler was woozy on the sideline, so Coach Tom Flores had backup quarterback Jim Plunkett warmed up and ready to go into the game, but following the kickoff, Stabler ran back onto the field, telling Flores on his way by: “I got us in this mess and it’s my job to get us out.”
That he did, in legendary Snake style.
Stabler connected on five passes, three to tight end Dave Casper, to drive the Raiders 80 yards to a one-yard touchdown run by fullback Mark van Eeghen that made it 35-21 at the end of the third quarter.
On the Raiders’ first possession of the fourth quarter, Stabler marched the Silver and Black 65 yards for another score, hitting tight end Derek Ramsey with a 17-yard touchdown pass, and the gap was closed to 35-28 on the 150th TD pass of Snake’s career.
Stabler and the Raiders got the ball on their own 33-yard-line with 4:13 left on the clock, and after Van Eeghen gained one yard, wide receiver Cliff Branch caught a short pass from Snake on the left sideline and broke away with his world-class speed for a 66-yard touchdown thanks to a block by running back Arthur Whittington, and the score was tied, 35-35.
On the next series, the Raiders forced running back Chuck Muncie to fumble, and safety Mike Davis recovered before running 19 yards to the Saints' 20, then flipped the ball to linebacker Ted Hendricks, who went seven more yards to the 13.
After two running plays, Stabler hit Branch for an eight-yard touchdown pass and the Raiders led for the first time since the first quarter, 42-35, with 1:54 left in the game. When rookie defensive end Willie Jones sacked quarterback Archie Manning on fourth down, it was over.
“We’ve been there before,” said Stabler, who despite his early problems passed for 295 and four touchdowns, while Branch had seven receptions for 126 yards. “We’ve been in these so-called impossible situations in the past. We have a lot of experience at it and know how to react.”
Carr is 2-0 against the Saints, who have lost five of their last six games, and hopes to make like Stabler for three in a row on Sunday.
The Raiders travel to the Big Easy to take on the New Orleans Saints next Sunday. That game kicks off at 1 p.m. EDT (10 a.m PDT) and can be seen on CBS.
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