Derek Carr throws touchdown pass to tackle Donald Penn (Video)
By John Buhler
The Oakland Raiders had to get creative to get points on the road against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Why not have Derek Carr throw the ball to Donald Penn?
The 2016 Oakland Raiders are playing with the kind of swagger that late former owner Al Davis would be proud of. Oakland is back to play renegade football at a high level. The Raiders were 4-0 on the road and 5-2 on the season entering their Week 8 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Tampa Bay.
Getting points against the Buccaneers wasn’t easy for the Raiders in the first half. Head coach Jack Del Rio decided to draw something up get inside the Buccaneers’ defensive’s collective head. He had quarterback Derek Carr throw a one-yard touchdown pass to offensive tackle Donald Penn.
The Sebastian Janikowski made PAT would tie the game up at 10 points apiece at Raymond James Stadium. Del Rio went about the proper protocol of reporting offensive tackle Penn as an eligible receiver.
How did Mike Smith’s Tampa Bay defense not think that Carr was going to throw the ball to Penn for six? Carr runs a brilliant play-action bootleg to find Penn ahead of the Buccaneers defense who bought the fake for the easy touchdown reception.
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With the way it was executed, Del Rio clearly had his team practice this in the week leading up to their road game against Tampa Bay. Oakland decided to stay in Florida after beating the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 7. If Oakland can continue to win games away from the Bay Area, this might end up being the best team in the AFC not named the New England Patriots.