OAKLAND, Calif. -- Derek Carr needed to get back to who he was as a wide-eyed rookie eyeing his first NFL win after 10 straight losses.
Amari Cooper needed to revert back to his two-time Pro Bowl receiver self.
And the Oakland Raiders had to remember what it felt like to not only win a game, but to enjoy the process.
Done, done and, oh yeah, definitely done.
The Raiders' wild 31-30 victory Thursday over the Kansas City Chiefs not only ended their four-game losing streak, it served notice that they were not yet ready to cash in on a lost season.
Because as frustrating as the past month had been for Carr and the Raiders, to break out offensively and win a white-knuckle affair in such fashion was just as, well, fun.
"That's all I focused on today," Carr said. "My main focus coming into today was making sure I knew who I was, remembering who I was and having fun.
"I told my teammates that I loved them, but it's time to have some fun. I think all of Oakland was able to have some fun tonight."
You want fun? The Raiders, who entered the day with the NFL's No. 30-ranked total offense, exploded for 505 yards and 32 first downs.
Carr passed for 417 yards and three touchdowns, throwing 52 passes on a night eerily similar to the one on Nov. 20, 2014, when he beat the Chiefs for win No. 1 on a Thursday night. At the Coliseum. In the rain.
Cooper caught 11 passes (he was targeted 19 times) for a career-high 210 yards, the most by a Raiders player since Art Powell in 1965, and two touchdowns.
"We have a lot of playmakers at the receiving position," said Cooper, who had been struggling mightily with just 18 catches for 146 yards and one TD in six games.
"We went into this week saying we want to take more shots, more explosive plays."
And Cooper entered the week with some sage advice from Michael Crabtree.
"Just be you," Crabtree told Cooper. "It's just about everything coming together. Coop [is] a fighter, man. Coop got skills, so I don't worry about Coop and I'm sure he don't worry about me. That's why we are so good together."
It was Crabtree who hauled in a pair of winning touchdowns -- the first one, from 1 yard out, was waved off as Crabtree was called for pushing off.
The one that counted came three snaps, seven seconds and 1 yard later.
"There's a progression to it," Carr said of the final series of throws. "Crab is first, and I was calling for that play. If there's one thing about Crab, it doesn't matter what happens throughout the rest of the game, he always shows up. Obviously, he did at the end there -- twice. Made two big plays for us."
Inevitably it comes back to Carr, though. Especially with how out of sync he looked during the Raiders' losing streak. He also ended a personal five-game skid against the Chiefs and appeared to be in more command of the huddle.
Did Raiders coach Jack Del Rio have to have a heart-to-heart meeting with Carr about being more aggressive, which might lead to more, you know, fun?
"No," Del Rio said. "Just discussed him being himself and being the stud that he is."
A fun-loving one at that.