The Raiders are going to the playoffs. Five games already outside of their time zone and they come away with five wins. They've still got one to go in Mexico City. Derek Carr has a killer instinct that you can't teach, and every week he does things you don't see many young quarterbacks do down the field.
His perfect trajectory on a long touchdown throw for a 17-10 lead at Tampa was a thing of beauty, and he made several big-time throws on the drive that sent the game to overtime with a touchdown late. Then he won the game on a fourth-and-4 throw that ended up going for another long touchdown to overcome an NFL-record 23 penalties in the process, on the road no less, after the Raiders quickly fell behind 10-0. To consider: Oakland amassed 600 of the final 750 yards gained collectively in this game.
Unlike most teams in the league, the Raiders have an offensive line. The defensive front could be much more formidable when Mario Edwards returns from injury and if Aldon Smith gets reinstated from his yearlong suspension. They could win the AFC West. I've been on this bandwagon since before the 2015 season and I'm not getting off now.
As for the Bucs, they may not be able to stick with their second-round kicker too much longer. Roberto Aguayo missed an extra point that may have cost the Bucs the game, and he has already missed seven kicks this season, five of them field goals. The margins are too small in this league.
