Daniel Carlson field goal at the end of OT sends Raiders to playoffs, 35-32 over Chargers

LAS VEGAS (AP) — As Daniel Carlson's 47-yard field goal ended time in overtime, the Las Vegas Raiders trailed the Los Angeles Chargers 35-32 on Sunday night for their first playoff berth since 2016. Gave.

And they eliminated their AFC West rivals in the process, helping Pittsburgh advance.

Las Vegas survived Los Angeles' late game return, which built on a series of fourth-down conversions to force overtime. Time ran out in regulation, the Chargers tied it with a 12-yard TD pass from Justin Herbert to Mike Williams.

Then each team scored overtime field goals before Carlsen won. Carlsen, this season's AFC Special Team Player of the Week three times, scored five field goals in the game.

The Raiders won their fourth game in a row and completed an incredible late-season run after losing five of their last six.

Derek Carr completed 20 of 36 pass attempts for 186 yards, including two touchdowns. Hunter Renfro ran two touchdown passes, while Josh Jacobs ran for 132 yards on 26 carries, including a score.

The Raiders, who had more off-season and in-season distractions than any other team, overcame many adversities and made a return to the playoffs for only the second time after losing to Tampa Bay in the 2003 Super Bowl.

If the teams were tied, the Steelers would have been eliminated. Instead, Las Vegas moves to Cincinnati on Saturday to open the wild-card round, and Pittsburgh plays Kansas City on Sunday night.

Trailing 15 in the fourth quarter, the Chargers scored two late touchdowns, hitting Herbert's Williams with a 19-play, 83-yard drive. Dustin Hopkins' extra point sent the game into extra period. Los Angeles converted three fourth-down plays in the long drive.

Herbert, who was under considerable pressure that night, completed 34 of his 64 attempts for 383 yards with three touchdowns and one interception.

Las Vegas dominated early on and took a 10-0 lead.

Carlson scored a 24-yard field goal on the Raiders' first possession, and after being forced to punt on his second drive, Las Vegas' Devine DeBlo made a fumble on the special teams at Los Angeles' 23-yard line. After six plays, Carr found Renfro for a 12-yard touchdown.

Los Angeles responded behind a heavy dose of Austin Eckler, who ran for 53 yards on nine carries and had two touchdowns in the first half. Eckeler ran for 14 yards for a score and a 14-yard screen pass to give the Chargers a 14-10 lead.

Although the Chargers led the Raiders 180–142 in the first half, 85 yards on penalties against Los Angeles equaled the most in the first half by a Raiders opponent in the past 11 seasons. The biggest was the 41-yard defensive pass interference call against Chris Harris Jr., with 49 seconds left in the half.

Jacobs punched it to 1 in the next play to put Las Vegas back in front, and the Raiders' defense blocked the last drive of the Chargers' half.

The Las Vegas Raiders are hoping to get back star Tight End Darren Waller for their crucial season finale against the Los Angeles Chargers.

Interim coach Rich Bisakia said Waller would be a game-time decision for the Raiders (9-7) in their performance at home against the Chargers (9-7) on Sunday night. The winner of that game is assured of a playoff spot, while the Raiders may face losses to both Pittsburgh and Indianapolis.

Waller hasn't played since he was injured in the second quarter of the Thanksgiving win in Dallas. He was set to try to come back last week before testing positive for COVID-19, but now has a chance on Sunday night after being confined to practice all week.

"We are really looking forward to each morning to see what the level of his soreness is and how he feels if he can recover from it," Bisakia said. "If he goes and plays for us, we'll definitely know where his cardio is and from that, not only in the game, but we have a lot more information about what goes on from practice to reps."

The Raiders have won over the past three weeks to remain in contention without Waller, but the offense averages only 16 points per game in the five full games they missed in this section.

Waller has caught more passes (243) from quarterback Derek Carr than any other player in Carr's career and would give the offense a major boost.

Despite missing six-plus games this season, Waller is still second on the Raiders with 53 catches and 643 yards to go with his two TDs. Since becoming the starting tight end for the Raiders in 2019, Waller is second in the NFL with 250 catches for 2,984 yards.

Bisakia also said running back Josh Jacobs (ribs) and defensive Jonathan Hankins (back) after being limited in practice is doubtful for Sunday.

Jacobs was injured last week in Indianapolis but returned to the game, while Hankins missed the last two games.

Cornerback Casey Hayward was added to the injury report on Friday with an ankle injury and is also doubtful.