Derek Carr had a funny comment about Jon Gruden’s bold decision to attempt a long field goal late in the Las Vegas Raiders’ 34-24 win over the New Orleans Saints on Monday night.
The Raiders were up 31-24 and drove to the New Orleans 36 with 1:05 left. They had a tough choice on fourth down and decided to take a risk. Gruden sent kicker Daniel Carlson out to attempt a 54-yard field goal. If he made the kick, it would have put the Raiders up by two scores and effectively iced the game. If he missed, the Saints would have had the ball near midfield and with a minute left to tie the game.
“That took a lot of you-know-what from Coach Gruden,” Carr said of Gruden’s decision during a postgame interview with ESPN’s Lisa Salters after the game.
It certainly did.
Carlson nailed the 54-yard kick with ease, essentially sealing the win.
Although Carlson made the kick look easy, the decision could not have been an easy one. Prior to this season, Carlson’s NFL career-long field goal was 50 yards. He’s made two 54-yarders this season.
The decision took a lot of you-know-what from Gruden, but it paid off for the 2-0 Raiders. Now that they’re off to a good start, we’re guessing the rumors about problems between Carr and Gruden are gone.
