Derek Carr’s options were limited.
With tight end Darren Waller and wide receiver Hunter Renfrow on injured reserve, Carr had one place to go in overtime last week at Denver.
Carr hit Davante Adams with a 35-yard scoring strike, giving Las Vegas a 22-16 overtime victory that snapped a three-game skid.
The Raiders (3-7) will look to continue on a positive path when they travel to the Pacific Northwest to play the Seattle Seahawks (6-4), the NFC West co-leaders, on Sunday afternoon.
“I’ve played with a lot of receivers in my nine-year career, a lot of smart guys,” Carr said. “But Davante, he can see it like a quarterback.”
Perhaps that’s why Adams was open by 11.9 yards on the winning score, according to Next Gen Stats, the largest amount of separation for an overtime touchdown since the NFL began tracking that in 2016.
Adams said the route was the same he ran in the second quarter to the other side of the field, beating Broncos cornerback Patrick Surtain II.
“The call was to read what was going on with his leverage and the coverage, but it was based on something we had seen earlier in the game,” Adams said. “Just kind of marrying the concepts together.”
The Raiders also got a big game from Josh Jacobs, who rushed for 109 yards and caught three passes for 51 yards.
“To me, one of the most impressive things about him is he never asks to come out of a game,” Raiders coach Josh McDaniels said of Jacobs, who had all 24 of Vegas’ rushing attempts against the Broncos. “I’ve coached for a while, and that’s a tough position to play and to never come out because you get hit a lot and you get banged about and guys are falling on you and all the rest of it.”
Jacobs could be the key Sunday, as all four of Seattle’s losses have come when it allows more than 150 yards rushing.
The Seahawks had a bye last week after having a four-game winning streak snapped in a 21-16 loss to Tampa Bay on Nov. 13 in the NFL’s first regular-season game played in Germany.
“We’re in the middle of the season, and we’re doing the things we need to do,” Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said. “Really, really pleased with our guys and think they’ve done a great job.”
Tops on that list is quarterback Geno Smith, who took over after Russell Wilson was traded to Denver in the offseason.
Smith entered the bye leading the league in completion percentage (72.8) and was second in passer rating (108.0) and fifth in yards passing (2,474).
Not bad for someone who had started just five games over the previous seven seasons.
“I think it’s a mixture of talent and mental stability. I think those things are coming into a good combination right now,” Smith said. “I’ve always had those two things, so it’s more so just me being in the light versus doing it in the shadows.”
Both the Raiders and Seahawks are relatively healthy. Las Vegas offensive tackle Kolton Miller (shoulder/abdomen), who missed the Denver game, was a limited participant in practice this week, as was linebacker Luke Masterson (ribs). Seattle wide receiver Dee Eskridge (hand) and defensive end L.J. Collier (illness) missed practice.
–Field Level Media
