Let’s cut the Oakland Raiders some slack. They’re not used to this whole winning thing.
The Raiders won their first game of the season Thursday night against the Kansas City Chiefs at O.co Coliseum. It wasn’t before an embarrassing moment in the final seconds that could have been costly if not for veteran defensive end Justin Tuck.
Raiders linebacker Sio Moore sacked Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith on third down with about 40 seconds remaining. Moore then proceeded to celebrate like it was Mardis Gras — which actually occurs more often than a Raiders win nowadays — by sprinting downfield and subsequently engaging in an animated handshake with teammate Khalil Mack. Smith, meanwhile, got up and rallied his troops to the line of scrimmage, which was about midfield.
Smith attempted to snap the ball with Oakland’s defense offsides. It would have been detrimental to the Raiders, who were clinging to a 24-20 advantage. But fortunately for Oakland, Tuck alertly called a timeout and saved his team from a very embarrassing penalty.
Did Moore and Mack think the sack occurred on fourth down? Did they think the game was over? Who knows, really? This, after all, is the Raiders.
“You know how they say act like you’ve been there before — I haven’t,” Moore joked to reporters after the game.
Technically, he’s right. But unless the Raiders clean things up, it’ll be another 368 days before they taste victory again.
