Biggest comeback in 16 years carries Raiders past Bills

OAKLAND - When the run came Sunday at the Oakland Coliseum, it happened so fast you could hardly make sense of it. It was like Usain Bolt getting out of the blocks slowly and then finding another gear 50 meters down the track. Or like the team that plays next door at Oracle Arena, burying a dizzied opponent beneath a hail of 3-pointers.

At the 8:34 mark of the third quarter, the Raiders trailed the Buffalo Bills 24-9. By the 8:34 mark of the fourth quarter, it was Oakland that led 38-24. And that’s how the scoreboard looked at the final whistle.

The Raiders had outscored the Bills 29-0 in essentially one quarter of football, demonstrating their offensive ferocity (and the ability to, on occasion, play defense) and reinforcing the notion that Super Bowl 51 is a genuine goal for this blossoming team.

“It’s an exciting time, I can’t lie about it,” quarterback Derek Carr said in a well-attended post-game press conference. “It’s an exciting time in Oakland, for our fans, it’s really exciting. Look how many people are in here now. I remember my rookie year, it was like, eh.”

The days of eh are gone for a while. At 10-2 (a record the Raiders haven’t enjoyed since 2000), this team remains the No. 1 seed in the AFC with four games remaining.

When the Bills opened the third quarter with a two-play scoring strike, and followed it with grinding 10-play touchdown drive to build a 24-9 lead, the crowd here seemed stunned. The Raiders have muddled through some uninspired stretches in 2016, but this was shaping up to be their worst game of the season. On the Raiders sideline, in the Raiders huddle, no one came unglued.

“I really didn’t feel anything as far as like panic,” left guard Kelechi Osemele said. “I would say there was more of a sense of urgency knowing this drive was where we need to get points. You could kind of feel that in the huddle with the play calling and everything.”

The counterattack began with an efficient drive. Carr, playing with his right pinkie and ring finger taped together to protect the pinkie he dislocated against the Panthers a week earlier, used the middle of the field to connect on passes to tight end Clive Walford and wide receivers Seth Roberts and Michael Crabtree, then found Crabtree in the back of the end zone for a touchdown to stop the bleeding.

The Bills went three-and-out.

Dynamic rookie Jalen Richard delivered a nice punt return and then a 21-yard run to set up Latavius Murray’s touchdown plunge that trimmed Buffalo’s lead to 24-23.

The Bills went three-and-out.

Carr hit tight end Mychal Rivera for a 22-yard gain, then lobbed a perfect ball to Amari Cooper, who had gotten behind cornerback Kevon Seymour, for a 37-yard scoring play that gave the Raiders their first lead at 30-24.

“When you’re in it, it feels smooth,” Osemele said. “It kind of feels like everything’s jelling, everything’s working out. Confidence keeps building as you go through situations like that. … There’s no doubt whatsoever, (you) kind of look in each other’s eyes like we’re gonna get it done.”

The Bills’ response? They went three-and-out.

From that point on, the Raiders more or less requested that Khalil Mack finish the game for them. Mack, the increasingly unstoppable third-year edge rusher, had destroyed the Carolina Panthers with a Pick Six and a game-ending strip-sack and fumble recovery the previous week. This time he thwarted any thoughts of a Bills parry by racing around his blocker to hit quarterback Tyrod Taylor’s arm; the ball floated to safety Nate Allen, who intercepted at the Buffalo 16.

Two minutes later, Murray scored his second touchdown, and Carr followed with a completion to Roberts for the 2-point conversion and a 38-24 lead.

The Bills made a last attempt. Taylor led them 58 yards before Mack found him again. Another strip-sack. Another fumble recovery. And the game was all but over.

“The guy is a walking Hall of Famer,” outside linebacker Bruce Irvin said of Mack. “He’s the best in the business. I’m blessed to suit up with him week in and week out.”

It was the first time the Raiders had overcome a deficit of 15 or more points since they rallied from 21 down to beat the Indianapolis Colts 38-31 in 2000.

Taylor was 8 of 9 for 102 yards in the first quarter, but 10 of 26 for just 89 yards thereafter. Oakland coach Jack Del Rio said his defensive staff made minor tweaks, but it was mostly a case of better execution. On offense, though, the Raiders made a significant adjustment after falling behind by 15 points. Coordinator Bill Musgrave picked up the pace, straining the Bills defenders and making it harder for them to substitute.

The first half was less wide-open. Oakland moved the ball some, but wound up settling for three field goals by Sebastian Janikowski, from 47, 41 and 47 yards. The Bills led 10-9 at halftime. The second half belonged to the home team.

It became a signature win for the Raiders, but they don’t have long to celebrate. They play Thursday night against at Kansas City against the Chiefs, a team that trails them by one game in the AFC West and already won here in Oakland on Oct. 16.

It will be a real test, no doubt. But there isn’t a game on the schedule the Raiders don’t believe they can win at this point -even if they should fall behind by a couple touchdowns.

“We just kept fighting out there. We’ve been doing that all year,” left tackle Donald Penn said Sunday. “For 60 minutes. Tampa Bay, we played more than 60 minutes. We keep fighting, and you have been seeing that all year. … No matter how far our backs are against the wall, we keep fighting.”

You can reach staff writer Phil Barber at 707-521-5263 or phil.barber@pressdemocrat.com. Follow him on Twitter: @Skinny_Post.