The Raiders tied to the playoffs will find a way to beat the Chargers in the overtime thriller

When Derek Carr found Zay Jones and Bryan Edwards in 17- and 11-yard wins and Jacobs added short runs before cutting 10 yards, Las Vegas made sure there were no more Herbert-led rallies. And while the Raiders coaches could discuss playing a draw, Jacobs didn’t. He went to coordinator Greg Olsen and told him he wanted the ball.

“Before the 4-minute rule limit, I said to him, ‘I’m closer.’ That’s why you brought me here. Let me close, “said Jacobs, who carried 132 yards and a touch point 26 times.” As they leveled the game in OT, I looked at Olly and said, “It’s time.” We put together – the line of attack, (Carr), everyone. We just made it happen. “

The same can be said of Bisaccia, which found itself in a very difficult situation. Owner Mark Davis hasn’t said he’s going to remove the “temporary” entry from Bisaccia’s job description – and there have been rumors that Davis is interested in Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh, who had close ties to Davis ’father – but it’s hard to see anyone else taking care of it. situation as well as Bisaccia.

“I told people when he got the job that he was the right man for the job for a number of reasons,” Jacobs said. “Every guy in the room respects him – even before he was the head coach. He’s one of those guys you go to talk about life if you have things going on. When you have a coach you respect and you truly care and love, you do whatever he asks you do. “

Bisaccia is a lifelong captive for football, a 20-year-old NFL side line veteran who has always dreamed of working as a head coach. Whatever happened, Sunday was special to him, just like his quarterback. Carr has been unfairly beaten for much of his career, routinely focusing on things he may not be doing well, unlike those where he excels. He led the team in the playoffs in 2016, but was never able to play after breaking his leg for the rest of the year. So Saturday means a lot to him from a personal perspective – this is the first time he gets into the playoffs – and is just as significant from a team perspective.

“When I think I can sleep and wake up in the morning, maybe it will hit me then,” he said. “But I just have this weird feeling in my heart that the work hasn’t been done. It feels good. It’s exciting. But I’m not just going to get into the playoffs. … There’s more after that.”

In some respects, it seems appropriate for the Raiders to advance by winning a game that did not earn style points. It was similar to how they won so many great games under the direction of Madden, whose family lit the Al Davis memorial torch before the game. Maybe it was their way of respecting his spirit that certainly seemed to fill the building, given that today in 1977 his Raiders defeated the Vikings and won the Super Bowl XI.