Spokesman-Review
National Football League
Oakland 24, Tennessee 21
When: 1:00 PM ET, Sunday, November 29, 2015
Where: Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee
Temperature: 56°
Head Official: Jeff Triplette
Attendance: 58075

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- For the Oakland Raiders, it was a much-needed win that ended a losing streak that damaged their hopes of making the playoffs for the first time in 12 years.

For the Tennessee Titans, it was the continuation of a trend that lasted more than a year and is about to near an ignominious record.

Oakland quarterback Derek Carr connected with wide receiver Seth Roberts on a 12-yard touchdown pass with 1:21 remaining Sunday, lifting the Raiders to a 24-21 win at rainy Nissan Stadium.

Roberts, who beat cornerback Coty Sensbaugh on a fade pattern to the right front corner of the end zone, capped a career-best day of six catches for 113 yards and two scores. The second-year pro from West Alabama has only 21 catches on the year, serving as a backup to more heralded starters Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree.

"Keep believing, keep focused and just play ball," Roberts said.

In improving to 5-6, Oakland snapped a three-game losing streak and overcame a pair of lost fumbles, as well as 11 penalties for 94 yards. But it was a penalty flag that kept its winning drive going.

On 4th-and-8 from the Tennessee 36 with 1:50 left, Carr's pass into the end zone for wide receiver Andre Holmes was knocked away by free safety Michael Griffin. But cornerback B.W. Webb was called for holding Cooper far away from the play, bailing the Raiders out.

"I had tight coverage on him," Webb said. "I don't know what (the official) was thinking. I don't know how I could have held him. But you can't complain. You have to play."

Carr promptly hit tight end Mychal Rivera for a 19-yard gain to the Titans' 12, then found Roberts for the game-winner.

"That was huge," safety Charles Woodson said of Roberts' contribution. "I told him he put us on his back and carried us. It might have been ugly, but this was a win we needed badly."

Tennessee's last drive ended when quarterback Marcus Mariota was intercepted by safety Nate Allen at the Oakland 38 with 43 seconds left, sealing the Titans' 11th straight home loss, dating back to October of 2014.

They are three shy of tying the all-time NFL record, held by the 1988-89 Dallas Cowboys. It was Tennessee's third home loss this year in which it's held a fourth quarter lead and been unable to close it out.

"We've been playing hard and practicing hard," cornerback Perrish Cox said. "It's been a frustrating year for us."

The Titans (2-9) grabbed a 21-17 lead with 4:41 remaining when Mariota tossed his third touchdown pass, a 1-yarder to fullback Jalston Fowler. It capped a 42-yard drive that was colored by Raiders mistakes.

Carr botched a center snap exchange that was recovered by defensive end DaQuon Jones. That was followed by three Oakland penalties for first downs, including a pass interference call in the end zone that set up Fowler's scoring grab.

"You look at that game," Raiders coach Jack Del Rio said, "and we have to learn from some of the things that were going on. There are a lot of opportunities to teach."

After Mariota opened scoring with a 20-yard scoring strike to tight end Craig Stevens with 5:53 left in the first quarter, Carr found Crabtree for a 7-yard touchdown pass at the 1:34 mark for a 7-6 Oakland lead.

Kicker Sebastian Janikowski toed a 24-yard field goal with 1:01 remaining in the first half to make it 10-6 Raiders at the half. Carr and Roberts then capped a 69-yard scoring drive with a 10-yard connection which saw Roberts elude Cox's tackle attempt and dive into the end zone, making it 17-6 with 10:45 left in the third quarter.

Mariota pulled Tennessee within 17-14 with a 13-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Harry Douglas with 6:22 remaining in the third and a 2-point pass to wide receiver Dorial Green-Beckham.

Mariota completed 17 of 37 passes for 218 yards, breaking the franchise's single-season passing yardage record for a rookie. But Carr finished 24 of 37 for 330 yards and the game-winner.

"We wanted to end the week 1-0 somehow, and I am really proud of the way the guys stayed in it," Del Rio said.

NOTES: Tennessee WR Harry Douglas played in his 100th NFL game. ... Oakland QB Derek Carr had to miss a play in the first quarter after appearing to tweak his ankle while throwing an incomplete pass. Carr returned for the team's next possession. ... Titans TE Delanie Walker's 36-yard reception in the first quarter was his 300th career catch.
Top Game Performances
Rushing
Oakland   Tennessee
Latavius Murray Player Antonio Andrews
22 Attempts 11
59 Yards 32
2.7 Avg Yards 2.9
0 Touchdowns 0
8 Long 11
Receiving
Oakland   Tennessee
Amari Cooper Player Delanie Walker
7 Receptions 6
115 Yards 91
16.4 Avg Yards 15.2
0 Touchdowns 0
41 Long 36
Team Stats Summary
 
  Yards Scoring Defense
Team Tot Rus Pas TD FG INT Sck FF
Oakland 407 84 323 3 1 2 2.0 0
Tennessee 249 44 205 3 0 0 1.0 1
Upcoming Games
  • Tennessee will play their next game at home against Jacksonville. The Titans have a W/L % of .333 after a win and .125 after a loss.
  • Oakland will play their next game at home against Kansas City. The Raiders have a W/L % of .500 after a win and .429 after a loss.