GLENDALE, Ariz. _ In a fight to see who really wanted the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 NFL draft, the Cardinals prevailed.
The Raiders won the game, but they lost ground in the race that may matter more in the end.
Rookie kicker Daniel Carlson hit a 35-yard field goal as time expired to give the Raiders a 23-21 win, improving their record to 2-8 on the season and dropping the Cardinals to an identical 2-8.
"I wasn't trying to make the moment too big and just do what I could for my teammates," Carlson said. "It's fun to celebrate after a kick like that."
Carlson missed a 35-yard field goal at the overtime buzzer for the Vikings in Week 2. That game finished in a 29-29 tie, and his final missed kick made him 0-for-3 on the day. The rookie Minnesota drafted in the fifth round was waived the next day.
Derek Carr's 32-yard connection with rookie Marcell Ateman and 20-yard pass to Seth Roberts late in the fourth quarter set up a manageable field goal for Carlson, who sent the Raiders to a victory they might've been better off not having. Even so, the Raiders will take win No. 2 however they can get it, regardless of how putrid the opponent.
"The one I missed in Minnesota was probably from 35 yards and I think this one was too, so it was kind of cool to get an opportunity again like that to be able to pull through for the team," Carlson said.
Raiders wide receiver Brandon LaFell injured his Achilles on a 24-yard leaping catch midway through the third quarter, and he didn't return to the game.
The veteran and Super Bowl champion entered Sunday as Oakland's No. 1 receiver with knee injuries rendering Jordy Nelson and Martavis Bryant inactive. LaFell caught a 5-yard touchdown pass to even the score in the second quarter, and the catch on which he suffered his injury was his only other grab on the afternoon.
"We think it's bad," Raiders coach Jon Gruden said. "We don't think it's good. ... That guy's playing great football for us."
Gruden will more than likely have more clarification on LaFell's injury at his Monday afternoon press conference.
Cardinals' Josh Rosen came into Sunday's game one of three quarterbacks with at least 100 pass attempts and more interceptions than touchdown passes (five touchdown passes, eight interceptions).
For the second time this season, Gareon Conley picked off a rookie quarterback in the first quarter, following his Week 4 pick-six of Cleveland's Baker Mayfield with a pick of Rosen on the Cardinals' second play from scrimmage. He returned the diving interception 28 yards to Arizona's 33-yard line and, three plays later, Jared Cook corralled a 23-yard touchdown pass to give the Raiders a 6-0 lead.
"I was Cover 3. I just saw the ball thrown. I made the play," Conley said.
Later in the first half, Rashaan Melvin's tight coverage popped the ball up in the air and Karl Joseph came down with it at Oakland's 45-yard line before returning it 5 yards to midfield. Sunday marked the first time since Week 15 last season that the Raiders' tallied two interceptions in a game. They now have seven on the season.
Mo Hurst also logged his team-leading fourth sack of the season when he took Rosen down for a loss of 8 yards at Arizona's 2-yard line midway through the second quarter. The rookie defensive tackle continues to be a rare bright spot amid a miserable Raiders season.
"They just messed up their slot protection and kind of let me loose," Hurst said. "Can't really do that. Just bad protection on their part."
After Carr's third-down pass deep down the right sideline for Jalen Richard sailed well out of bounds late in the first half, quarterback and head coach engaged in a mid-game quarrel on the sideline. Gruden insisted those interactions happen often, that TV cameras only caught them for the first time Sunday. Radio sideline reporter Chris Townsend said tight end Lee Smith put his hand on Gruden's shoulder to calm him down after the heated exchange.
"I just happened to be in the vicinity and saw the wild man's face red, so I figured I'd join the party," Smith said. "But it was nothing negative, nothing that I thought was a problem or anything like that. Those two guys couldn't be any more professional on and off the field together."
"That's the first time you've seen it, but it isn't the first time it's happened," Gruden said. "We're both competitors ... We had a man-to-man situation and he went for the big play. We had a mild disagreement. But you know what? That's part of this business. We're going to have times where we clash a little bit. We're also very supportive of one another."
