Every now and then, a great football game breaks out amongst all the flags when you least expect it. While there were plenty of flags, the Oakland Raiders and Los Angeles Chargers remained intent on a battle on Thursday Night Football.
Notably, this was the Raiders’ final primetime game in Oakland. Therefore, they weren’t going to let down the crowd that has stood faithfully behind them for all those years. The Raiders held on to win 26-24 in high-drama fashion.
The Raiders led all night long, fueled by a pair of interceptions by a guy named Erik Harris. Harris was a walk-on at a D2 school and was turned down by the Canadian Football League before catching on with the Raiders.
Still, things weren’t easy for Oakland.
The Chargers took a 24-20 lead with just over four minutes remaining in the game. Then, Derek Carr got under center and went to work. Moreover, Carr led the Raiders on a scoring drive that ended up his 19th career come from behind fourth quarter drive.
It was capped by this play, a touchdown run by rookie running back Josh Jacobs.
Jacobs for six!#LACvsOAK | #RaiderNation pic.twitter.com/M6RkrwFJxC
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) November 8, 2019
Undeniably, the drama didn’t suspend there. The Raiders missed the extra point, which meant Los Angeles would get the ball back with over a minute to go and all three timeouts. On the final drive, Philip Rivers went 0 for 7 and threw a game-sealing interception to effectively end the game.
Then, a little bit of a special moment happened. Jon Gruden went down to the Black Hole and celebrated with the fans. Seriously, tell me this isn’t good for the NFL and sports in general.
Jon Gruden celebrating with the Black Hole. He loves Oakland 💯
(via @NFL)pic.twitter.com/Y4NaOjXyAB
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) November 8, 2019
Following all of that, Gruden had this to say about celebrating with his fans; who have to be happy with the team’s 5-4 start.
Jon Gruden loves celebrating with the Black Hole after the Raiders win 😆 pic.twitter.com/Bpu4mYRl8Q
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) November 8, 2019
Finally, I’ve been watching the Raiders in Oakland for a long time. It’s a special place because it’s one of the last true home-field advantages in the sport. If you watched the game Thursday night, the place was loud and rowdy.
For a group of fans who will lose their team next year to Las Vegas, you take your hat off to them. And for the Oakland Raiders, the ride with Chucky and Carr continues at 5-4 and in the thick of an AFC playoff race.
