Panthers at Raiders
The Oakland Raiders looked a bit flat coming out of their bye week but still managed to pull out a victory and maintain their lead atop the AFC West. Oakland aims for its fifth straight overall win and third in a row at home when it hosts the defending NFC champion Carolina Panthers on Sunday.
The Raiders claimed the top spot in their division with a convincing triumph over Denver in Week 9 but were idle the following week, and it showed against Houston in Mexico City on Monday night, when the club was forced to rally from a seven-point deficit in the fourth quarter to extend its winning streak. Derek Carr threw a pair of long touchdown passes during the comeback, including a decisive 35-yarder to Amari Cooper with less than five minutes remaining, to complete a three-TD performance and raise his season total to 20 against only four interceptions. Carolina is bringing up the rear in the NFC South but trails first-place Atlanta by only two games as it seeks its fourth victory in five contests since its bye week. The Panthers have not played since last Thursday, when they scored 20 consecutive points and withstood a furious fourth-quarter comeback attempt by New Orleans to pull out a 23-20 triumph.
TV: 4:25 p.m. ET, CBS. LINE: Raiders -3. O/U: 49.5
ABOUT THE PANTHERS (4-6): Carolina's defense took a major hit in last week's victory as linebacker Luke Kuechly entered the league's concussion protocol while cornerback Leonard Johnson (chest) and defensive end Mario Addison (foot) also exited with injuries. Kuechly recorded 14 tackles against the Saints and has registered a league-high 693 since 2012. Center Ryan Kalil (shoulder) was a casualty on the offensive line and, along with Addison, is questionable to face Oakland.
ABOUT THE RAIDERS (8-2): Two key members of the offense were not full participants in Wednesday's practice as receiver Michael Crabtree and running back Latavius Murray were limited due to ankle injuries. Carr threw his first interception since Oct. 16 on the first play of the second half on Monday, ending his streak of 170 consecutive passes without a pick. The third-year quarterback has been outstanding in his last three meetings with teams from the NFC South, throwing for 1,131 yards with eight touchdowns and zero interceptions for a 111.6 rating.
EXTRA POINTS
1. Cooper is one of only seven players since 2015 with over 130 receptions (134) and an average of more than 14 yards per catch (14.7).
2. Carolina QB Cam Newton is the only player to lead a current NFL franchise in both passing (128) and rushing (an NFL-record 47) touchdowns.
3. Oakland DE Khalil Mack has recorded eight of the team's league-low 15 sacks this season.