<
        >

          NFL Nation

          Miracle in the Meadowlands: Raiders beat Jets on late Derek Carr TD pass to Henry Ruggs III

          • Paul Gutierrez, ESPN Staff WriterDec 6, 2020, 09:32 PM
            Close
              Paul Gutierrez joined NFL Nation in 2013 and serves as its Las Vegas Raiders reporter. He has a multi-platform role - writing on ESPN.com, television appearances on NFL Live and SportsCenter, and podcast and radio appearances. Before coming to ESPN, Gutierrez spent three years at CSN Bay Area as a multi-platform reporter, covering the Raiders and Oakland Athletics as well as anchoring the SportsNet Central cable news show. Gutierrez votes for the Baseball Hall of Fame and is also a member of the Professional Football Writers of America and currently serves as the PFWA's Las Vegas chapter president. He is also a member of the California Chicano News Media Association and the National Association of Hispanic Journalists. Gutierrez has authored three books: Tommy Davis' Tales from the Dodgers Dugout, 100 Things Raiders Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die and If These Walls Could Talk: Stories from the Raiders Sideline, Locker Room and Press Box with Lincoln Kennedy. You can follow Paul on Twitter @PGutierrezESPN
            Follow on X

          Among the many mottos Al Davis ingrained into the Las Vegas Raiders' DNA was a variation of this: It doesn't matter how ugly it looks, so long as you win. Yeah, it's a spin of his more iconic "Just win, baby" slogan. At MetLife Stadium, against a winless and rudderless New York Jets team, it was more than appropriate.

          Behind a record day by tight end Darren Waller and a miracle finish courtesy of a 46-yard touchdown pass from Derek Carr to Henry Ruggs III with five seconds to play, the Raiders pulled off a 31-28 win that ended a two-game losing streak -- and had many Raiders fans white-knuckling throughout.

          Las Vegas improved to 7-5 and remains firmly in the AFC playoff race as the season approaches its quarter pole. The Raiders won against the Jets in New York for the first time since 1996, ending a six-game losing streak.

          The Raiders control their destiny, with three straight home games up next, including two against the Indianapolis Colts and Miami Dolphins, teams with which the Raiders are competing for a playoff spot.

          Describe the game in two words: Oh, my. Things looked dicey early for the Raiders, as the offense could not get the running game going and the defense could not get a stop, but defensive end Clelin Ferrell was nearly as unstoppable rushing the quarterback as Waller was after the catch, and normalcy reigned.

          Buy a breakout performance: Waller was next-to-unstoppable. He had a career-high 200 yards receiving and two touchdowns among his 13 catches. That is the most receiving yards by a tight end in franchise history and the first time a tight end had 100 receiving yards and two TDs in the first half of a game since Jordan Reed in Week 16 of the 2015 season.

          Troubling trend: The Raiders were missing thumping safety Johnathan Abram, and cornerback Damon Arnette was lost on the second play of the day because of his second concussion in as many weeks, but Jets quarterback Sam Darnold carved early and often. After not throwing a TD pass since Week 3, Darnold had two TD passes in the first half. Also, the Jets gashed the Raiders on the ground, rushing for 206 yards. The Raiders' defense -- or lack thereof -- is still an issue for a team that fancies itself a playoff contender.

          QB Breakdown: Carr looked uncomfortable at best and rattled at worst by a better-than-advertised Jets pass rush. He was underthrowing passes in the fourth quarter. On the day, Carr finished 28-of-47 for 381 yards and three TD passes, with an interception that bounded off Ruggs' hands. Carr also ran one in from 2 yards out to give the Raiders a 24-13 lead midway through the third quarter. But it was the bomb to Ruggs that gave the Raiders the win. It was Carr's 23rd career game-winning drive, second in the NFL since the start of the 2014 season (Matthew Stafford has 26 such drives.).

          Pivotal play: Ruggs' fumble near midfield after a 12-yard catch with less than nine minutes to play and the Raiders nursing a 24-21 lead. Ruggs was stripped by cornerback Javelin Guidry, who kept Ruggs from recovering the ball, which Jets safety Marcus Maye corralled. The Jets converted the turnover into a touchdown to take a 28-24 lead with 5:34 to play. The play, though, only set up Ruggs' heroics later.