OAKLAND, Calif. -- After getting a rude introduction to the NFL after losing their first 10 games as rookies in 2014, Derek Carr and Khalil Mack have put the Oakland Raiders at the top of the AFC just two years later.Carr came back from an injured pinkie to lead another fourth-quarter comeback and Mack had an interception return for a touchdown and a game-sealing strip sack that led Oakland to a 35-32 victory over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.The Raiders (9-2) won their fifth straight game to remain tied atop the AFC with New England and are assured of a winning record for the first time since 2002.Weve come a long way, Mack said. Even then you cant really think about the past. All you can really focus on is stacking these wins up. Thats all we really care about as a team.Mack and Carr are the biggest reasons for the turnaround and for the latest win against the Panthers (4-7). But it didnt come easy despite the fact that Mack gave Oakland a 24-7 lead with an interception return for a score late in the first half.Carr got hurt while fumbling a snap on the second play from scrimmage in the second half and the Panthers scored 25 straight points to take a 32-24 lead.Carr answered with a touchdown pass to Clive Walford and 2-point conversion to Seth Roberts , and then drove the Raiders to Sebastian Janikowskis go-ahead field goal.Weve done it every single way. Its crazy, Carr said. Im just going to keep on believing. Im going to keep working hard. Hopefully, well have more ways for you. To be honest, I dont care how we do it.The Panthers had a chance to tie or win it but Greg Olsen dropped a third-down pass that would have put Carolina in field-goal range and Mack sacked Cam Newton and recovered the fumble to close out the victory for Oakland.Carolina dropped to 2-5 in games decided by eight points or fewer a year after going 8-1 in close games on the way to 15 regular-season wins and a Super Bowl appearance.Were just got to find ways, Newton said. For most of this year we have to come together and win these close games. Thats what it comes down to.Here are some other takeaways from the game:CLUTCH CARR: Carr led his fifth fourth-quarter comeback of the season and 10th in his three-year career. More than half of his 19 career wins have come in that fashion. This season, Carr has completed 80 of 118 passes (67.8 percent) for 1,109 yards (9.4 ypa), 10 TDs, one interception and a 122.5 passer rating when tied or trailing in the fourth quarter.I grew up a Kobe (Bryant) fan so that mamba mentality, Carr said.DISAPPOINTED FAN: There was one notable fan very disappointed in the result. Warriors star Stephen Curry watched the game from a suite, cheering for his hometown Panthers. After the game, Curry had to wear a Carr jersey after losing a bet.GOING FOR 2: After Denico Autry blocked the extra point following Carolinas first TD in the third quarter, coach Ron Rivera went for 2 unsuccessfully after the next two touchdowns. Those missed points kept Oakland down only eight after Benjamins touchdown and the Raiders managed to tie it when they got the 2-point conversion after Walfords score. Olsen lamented his dropped pass on the second conversion attempt.You have to catch the ball, he said. I have caught a lot of balls in this league and this team relies on me to make the plays and come to me when (the game) is on the line.ELITE COMPANY: Mack joined some elite company with his latest star performance. He had a sack, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, and an interception and a touchdown. The last player to do all of that in the same game, according to ESPN, was Charles Woodson with Green Bay in 2009 against Detroit. Woodson was Macks teammate the past two years.Thats some great company right there, he said. C-Wood, thats big bro. We talk all the time. He tells me, `Its time for you to take over games. Fortunately I was in a position to do a little bit of that today.WHATS NEXT: The Panthers will stay in the Bay Area to practice at San Jose State before traveling to Seattle next weekend for a rematch of last years playoff game against the Seahawks. The Raiders will look for their sixth straight win when they host Buffalo.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL Aymeric Laporte Jersey . -- Hunter Smith scored the winner with just 12 seconds remaining in the third period as the Oshawa Generals edged the host Sarnia Sting 5-4 on Friday in Ontario Hockey League action. Manchester City Jerseys . The quest begins with what is supposed to be an easy one, although Germany has traditionally been a stubborn opponent to Canadian teams at international tournaments. http://www.authenticmanchestercityshop.com/Authentic-Brahim-Diaz-Manchester-City-Jersey/ . Louis Rams wide receiver Stedman Bailey last Sunday. The fine is the fourth this season for Goldson. He was fined $30,000 for a hit on the New York Jets Jeff Cumberland in Week 1. Ederson Moraes Manchester City Jersey . Roman Josi had a goal and an assist to lead the Predators to a 4-1 victory over the Dallas Stars on Monday night. Ederson Moraes Jersey .J. -- Josh Cribbs was in the Pro Bowl in February and out of a job six months later. Of the things running through Neil Wagners mind when he walked out to bat with New Zealand on 169 for 8, 127 of them would have been about his own bowling. Thats how many short balls he sent down in the 39 overs he bowled in the first innings, and he knew they would be avenged.The 128th thought would have been that he at least did not have to deal with Morne Morkel as well.Dale Steyn and Vernon Philander were back in South Africas attack, but instead of Morkel, who is nursing a back injury, they had Kagiso Rabada as the third prong. As a trio, they offer swing, seam, pace, bounce and all-round relentlessness, which could end up working Morkel out of the mix altogether.Between Steyn and Philander, they found exactly the right lines and lengths to create confusion in the New Zealands batsmens minds. They dropped the ball outside off and then made it swerve away enough to flirt with the edge, or find it. Its like ringing a doorbell and then running away. Every time, the person inside will open the door just in case its not a prank.Even if New Zealand had got used to the trick, they had to cope with the home invasion. Rabada is more than the perfect first change, he is almost like a third opening bowler because he does things with the same intensity. He reaches speeds of 150kph regularly, bends his back to get extra bounce, and he varies his lengths to prevent anyone from settling.It so nice to be back in this space, Steyn said, after the three quicks had shared nine wickets to bowl New Zealand out for 214. Vernon is a phenomenal bowler. He has kept it so tight. To bowl with him, you feel free because you can do whatever you want and he is going to tick over at two runs an over. And then KG, hes bowling 150, he is hitting the deck and getting wickets. its a great partnership at the moment.So much so that the spinner, Dane Piedt, had almost been an afterthought, bowling only seven overs in New Zealands innings.Once Morkel returns to fitness, South Africa could seriously consider a four-pronged pace attack in seamer-friendly conditions. It would be tough on Dane Piedt, who is fast developing into the kind of support spinner that South Africa like having around, but they have alternatives. JP Duminy and Dean Elgar could do holding jobs with the only concern around that selection being what impact it would have on transformation targets.Exactly what these are has not been made public and Russell Domingo had said before the series that he had not received any instructions, but it is understood that CSA have agreed to field six players of colour with at least two black Africans. That number will be calculated over the course of a season, which means there may be times where they can change their dynamics to suit the situation.On lively surfaces, South Africa will be formidable if their strike force includes all four of Steyn, Philander, Rabada and Morkel, and it looks increasingly likely that Morkel will play second fiddle to Rabada, especially if the evidence of the third days play is anything to go on.Rabadas most aggressive spell came against Wagner, who would have known he had it coming, particularly since he has beenn the source of much needle so far.dddddddddddd This was Wagners homecoming and he wanted to make an impact. He hit Hashim Amla and JP Duminy with short balls and got one to whizz past Temba Bavumas ears, but that was nothing on what he did to Rabada, whom he bounced nine times.Although he did not cause any harm, he had breached the unwritten code enough times to know what was coming. He just did not know how much of it he would have to take.Would it be gentle to start with, good length on off stump? Would it be the quicker one that hurried him off his feet and forced him to play? Or would Rabada try to do some real damage immediately?It was a bouncer, pitching on middle and leg, and climbing towards Wagners head. His helmet jittered. Wagner did not.Rabada turned around, expressionless, and did it again. Faster, but not as furious. Wagner could watch it down the leg side and calm down. Until Rabada turned around and slipped in something different but just as dangerous.Faster still, at 149kph, full and tempting. Wagner met it on the full and bottom-edged. Hashim Amla claimed the catch at first slip. It turned out to be a bump ball. Rabada, once again, turned around, expressionless.Four more bouncers had Wagner hopping before Rabada made contact again. This time on the shoulder. Rabada thought he had found bat or at least glove. He was animated, he appealed, and when he was denied he asked for a review. The first replay showed that in his efforts to unsettle Wagner, Rabada had overstepped. It became moot point that the ball clipped the edge of the bat before hitting Wagners shoulder. As soon as Rabada saw he had not got the desired result, he fixed his expression and hurtled in again.The next ball was a yorker, which Wagner again turned into a full toss and punched down the ground. His punishment was over.Steyn bowled the next over, and peppered Wagner again. This time he took the bouncers on, and took 18 off the over. The South African camp was unimpressed, and felt he may have been better served grinding it out in support of Kane Williamson, who was scoring a battling half-century at the other end. He came out and backed away, Steyn said. If he wanted to be more courageous and brave, he would have been 30 off 90 and watched his captain get a hundred rather than take it on.Wagner may want to keep that in mind when he bats again. Then, he may also have to face some spin, with Steyn expecting Piedt to come into the game far more. The spinner will have to come into play and hopefully as the game goes on, there will be a little more for him, he said.There will definitely be more for Wagner. What started as a little pre-match hype about his return to his home ground has turned into some needle over the pronunciation of his Afrikaans surname and, by extension, of everything he does on the field. Things got a little bit heated and a few words were said, Doug Bracewell said. Its always going to happen.There will also definitely be more for South Africas new look attack, with or without Morkel. ' ' '
