saints-9-11-2016

Raiders 35, Saints 34
Sept. 11, 2016 Mercedes-Benz Superdome
New Orleans, LA

STAR OF THE GAME Derek Carr completes a fade pass to Michael Crabtree in the back of the end zone on a two-point conversion with 47 seconds left to cap Oakland's wild comeback victory over stunned New Orleans. Carr's 10-yard scoring pass to Seth Roberts sets up the second two-point conversion by the Raiders (1-0) during the fourth quarter. Carr finishes 24 of 38 passing for 319 yards and a TD against the Saints (0-1) as Oakland overcomes a 14-point deficit in the second half.

KEY STATS The Saints' Drew Brees throws for 423 passing yards and four TDs on 28 of 42 passing and a 131.3 rating against Oakland. Brees surpasses 400 passing yards for the 14th time in his career, tying Peyton Manning for the most such performances in NFL history.

The Raiders win only their second season opener since 2003. They had dropped 12 of the previous 13 season openers, their only win a 23-20 victory at Denver in 2011.

Oakland's revamped secondary, featuring three new starters, is torched by Brees and his fleet receivers. Former Kansas City Chief Sean Smith is beaten in single coverage by Brandin Cooks on a New Orleans franchise record 98-yard scoring pass during the third quarter, giving the Saints a 24-10 advantage. Smith, one of the Raiders' top 2016 free-agent signings, is benched after being burned by Cooks on the 98-yard play. Cooks finishes with 6 catches for 143 yards and 2 TDs while Willie Snead has 9 catches for 172 yards and a score.

The Raiders have a game-high 167 rushing yards on 26 attempts (6.4 yards per rush). Rookie Jalen Richard, a Louisiana native, has 84 yards on three carries, including a 75-yard TD run on his first NFL rushing attempt.

The Saints' Wil Lutz is wide left on a 61-yard field goal attempt on the game's final play. He also is wide left on a 50-yard attempt earlier in the game but makes kicks from 42 and 20 yards in his NFL debut. Oakland's Sebastian Janikowski is 2-for-2 from 47 and 31 yards.

THEY SAID IT “I just put the ball on the top shelf and (Michael) Crab (Crabtree) made the play."

Raiders QB Derek Carr

"Derek gave me a great ball there, and he did that the entire game. That shows he trusts me. And it wasn’t a gutsy call at all, not at all. He (coach Jack Del Rio) has a lot of trust in us, and we have a lot of trust in him.

Raiders WR Michael Crabtree

BY THE NUMBERS 2-12: Raiders' record in season openers since 2003.
14: Raiders' penalties for 141 yards compared to 7 infractions for 53 yards by the Saints.
32: Combined points scored in the fourth quarter, when Oakland outscores New Orleans 22-10 in the final 15 minutes.
137: Receiving yards on 6 catches by Oakland's Amari Cooper, who averages 22.8 yards per catch.
742: Combined passing yards by the Saints' Drew Brees (423) and the Raiders' Derek Carr (319).

DID YOU KNOW? The Raiders are the first team to score a go-ahead two-point conversion in the final minute of the fourth quarter since the Denver Broncos did it against the San Diego Chargers in Week 2 of the 2008 season.

The all-time regular-season series between the Raiders and Saints is tied at 6-6-1. Oakland is 3-3-1 in road games against the Saints.

The Raiders tied the host Saints 21-21 in their inaugural meeting on Nov. 7, 1971 at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans.

Updated: 9-11-2016