Graney: Carl Nassib makes play needed to win

When it was implicit and the craziness subsided — and, boy, was determination a batch of it — the Raiders bushed Baltimore 33-27 successful overtime Monday nighttime due to the fact that this happened:

Five plays implicit 1:49.

One tremendous forced fumble and recovery.

The antiaircraft halt that ne'er truly came past season.

The benignant of play that was ne'er truly made backmost then.

Things request to beryllium cleaned up each implicit the place, but apologies are ne'er warranted pursuing an NFL victory.

The Raiders earned each spot of this 1 earlier an electrical 61,756 astatine Allegiant Stadium.

Defense stood tall

It was the archetypal regular-season crippled fans were allowed to be successful our pandemic world, and it’s a harmless stake the bulk walked (stumbled) distant each sorts of euphoric.

They besides departed with this image: A defence that stood tallest erstwhile needed most. A broadside of the shot that has been deservedly criticized for respective seasons turning the crippled connected its chaotic caput successful favour of the Raiders.

It was antiaircraft extremity Carl Nassib who forced the fumble that was recovered by tackle Darius Philon with 4:31 remaining successful overtime.

Three plays later, Raiders backmost Derek Carr lofted a 31-yard touchdown walk to Zay Jones for the win.

What followed was a shrieking tremor of sound large capable to awaken folks successful Henderson connected 1 broadside of municipality and Summerlin connected the other.

“We harp connected the defence truthful much,” Carr said. “You perceive this. You perceive that. You spot a batch of coordinators travel successful and go. For them to marque the play astatine the extremity and springiness america accidental aft accidental aft accidental with each their stops — I anticipation idiosyncratic praises the defense. They merit it.

“Were they perfect? No. Were we arsenic an offense? No. But we won arsenic a team.”

Guys were conscionable truthful progressive defensively. Gus Bradley is the caller coordinator, and it’s not a concealed galore players who competed nether him astatine erstwhile spots are present wearing Raiders colors. Many of them shined Monday.

Maxx Crosby isn’t a Bradley disciple but his play surely suggests the manager has made an aboriginal content connected the third-year end. So excessively has antiaircraft enactment manager Rod Marinelli.

Crosby would decorativeness with 2 sacks and 5 backmost hits, and free-agent signee Yannick Ngakoue had 4 tackles and a backmost deed earlier leaving with an injured hamstring.

You had Quinton Jefferson forcing a fumble and Denzel Perryman recovering it. You had K.J. Wright making large tackles connected 4th down.

Carr is right. Things weren’t perfect. There were breakdowns that led to Baltimore scores. Blown coverages. Blown assignments. Guys being wholly retired of position.

But erstwhile the clip came — similar it has truthful often earlier — and idiosyncratic had to measurement up and bash the 1 happening that leads to winning, Nassib was there.

“He made a large play,” Raiders manager Jon Gruden said. “Nassib had a large grooming camp. We’re going to request him going forward.”

The biggest play

Such is however things played out:

Lamar Jackson threw an incomplete pass.

Jackson completed a 10-yard walk to Sammy Watkins.

Latavius Murray ran for 3 yards.

Jackson threw incomplete.

And connected third-and-7 from the Baltimore 33 with 4:39 remaining successful overtime, Jackson dropped backmost and the Raiders brought pressure.

Nassib got to Jackson first, sacking the backmost portion forcing the fumble that Philon fell on.

“I’ve played successful a batch of games, this being my sixth year,” Nassib said. “I effort to marque definite that I retrieve each azygous game. I won’t hide this one.”

Neither volition his coaches oregon teammates oregon Raider Nation successful what was a rocking Allegiant Stadium.

The halt and play they needed to yet make.

And did.

Ed Graney is simply a Sigma Delta Chi Award victor for sports file penning and tin beryllium reached astatine egraney@reviewjournal.com oregon 702-383-4618. He tin beryllium heard connected “The Press Box,” ESPN Radio 100.9 FM and 1100 AM, from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. Monday done Friday. Follow @edgraney connected Twitter.