Raiders Use 17th Game (and Then Some) to Slide Into Postseason
The New York Times
In an odd game in which a tie could have sent both teams to the playoffs, the Raiders outlasted the Chargers in overtime, eliminating their division rival.
LAS VEGAS — The running joke on social media last week was that if the circumstances called for it, the Raiders and the Chargers should make a pact.
If the Colts lost to the lowly Jaguars, which they did Sunday, both Los Angeles and Las Vegas could mathematically enter the postseason with a tie. That meant Sunday night’s prime time game could theoretically have featured three hours of Justin Herbert and Derek Carr kneeling the ball to produce a stalemate.
Instead, the conclusion of the N.F.L.’s longest regular season was a competitive overtime affair, that saw both franchises determined to end the other’s season. The Raiders finally prevailed, 35-32, in overtime, gaining the A.F.C.’s final playoff berth only after thwarting the Chargers rally from a 15-point deficit in the fourth quarter of regulation.
