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Sports

Las Vegas Raiders’ Carl Nassib makes LGBTQ history — and a game-saving play

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Carl Nassib started his Monday night by making history as the first openly gay athlete to play in a regular-season NFL contest.

He ended it hours later by making the game’s most important defensive play, forcing an overtime fumble that led to his Las Vegas Raiders scoring a thrilling 33-27 victory over the visiting Baltimore Ravens. 

With the score tied, 27-27, and his team reeling from an end zone interception that appeared to cost Las Vegas a win, Nassib sacked Lamar Jackson and knocked the ball out of the star Ravens quarterback’s hands.

Following the stunning play, the Raiders, from the team’s official Twitter account, said “Carl Nassib’s forced fumble puts us back in business.”

The fumble was recovered by Darius Philon, and two plays later, Las Vegas cashed in with a walk-off touchdown pass from Derek Carr to Zay Jones.

During the post-game press conference, a reporter said he spotted a fan at Allegiant Stadium wearing a Raiders  jersey with Nassib’s number — and he was being continually stopped by other Silver & Black supporters, encouraging him with shouts of “right on, right on!”

“That’s amazing; that’s a great story. I love that. I wish I could  have seen [him],” Nassib responded. “It was really special, I’m really happy that we got the win on the day that kind of made a little bit of history.”

“I’ve played in a lot of games, now this is my sixth year, I try to make sure I really remember every single game. I won’t forget this one,” he added.

Following the action-packed game, which ended in overtime, the LGBTQ sports site Outsports summed it up best. 

“For this game to end this way with that player making that play … Hollywood writers everywhere are jealous,” Outsports founder Cyd Zeigler wrote. “People in the LGBTQ community, and even a lot of people outside of it, will be talking about this one for years.”

Follow NBC Out on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram

David K. Li is a breaking news reporter for NBC News.

Brooke Sopelsa is the editorial director of NBC Out, NBC News’ LGBTQ digital destination. 



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Sports

Eagles observations: 10 crazy stats from the Falcons win

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Jalen Hurts is a human stat machine. Rushing yards, passing yards, touchdowns, you name it, he does it. 

In the first five starts of his career, he’s got 1,183 passing yards and 334 rushing yards.

Nobody else in NFL history has thrown for 1,000 yards and rushed for 300 yards in their first five starts.

There’s a lot more where that came from. Welcome to the Week 1 edition of Roob’s 10 Eagles Stats. 

Jalen’s mastery: Hurts’ 1,517 combined passing and rushing yards in his first five NFL starts are eighth-most in NFL history. Jimmy Garoppolo, who presumably starts against the Eagles on Sunday for the 49ers, is just ahead of Hurts on that list. 

1770 — Cam Newton (1610, 40)

1663 — Justin Herbert (1542, 121)

1543 — Kirk Cousins (1503, 40)

1591 — Andrew Luck (1488, 103)

1547 — Pat Mahomes (1484, 63)

1530 — Kyler Murray (1324, 206)

1521 — Jimmy Garoppolo (1504, 17)

1517 — Jalen Hurts (1183, 334)

1506 — Jeff Blake (1410, 96)

Hurts became only the third Eagles quarterback ever to complete 75 percent of his passes with three TDs and no interceptions in a road game. Randall Cunningham did it in Phoenix in 1992 (77.3 percent, 3-0) and Nick Foles did it in Oakland in 2013 (79 percent, 7-0). 

His 77 percent completion percentage Sunday is highest ever by an Eagles QB on opening day (minimum 10 attempts). The previous high was Donovan McNabb’s 72 percent against the Giants in 2004.

Hurts has now had three career games with at least 250 passing yards, 60 rushing yards and one TD pass. Only six QBs have had more such games in their entire career. Hurts has started five games. 

 

Is someone missing on this list?: Hurts’ 126.4 passer rating is the highest by an Eagles quarterback since Foles had a 141.4 rating against the Vikings in the 2017 NFC Championship Game. 

It’s highest by an Eagles QB on the road in eight years — since Foles had a 149.3 rating in the Eagles’ 27-13 win over the Packers at Lambeau in 2013.

Historic debuts: DeVonta Smith’s 71 yards are second-most in Eagles history by a player in his first NFL game. DeSean Jackson had 106 against the Rams in the 2008 opener. Smith’s six catches tied Jackson’s club record for most catches in an NFL debut. 

Smith and Kenny Gainwell both scored touchdowns in their first NFL game, the first time two Eagles have done that in the same game. Only two other Eagles have scored TDs in their first game in the last 20 years — Tony Hunt against the Lions in 2007 and Terrell Watson against the Cowboys in 2017 (the only game he played for the Eagles). Huge names in Eagles history.

Smith and Gainwell are only the sixth and seventh Eagles rookies ever to score on opening day and the first in 28 years. The others were Ben Hawkins in 1970, Michael Haddix in 1983, Junior Tautalatasi in 1986, Keith Jackson in 1988 and Vaughn Hebron in 1993.

Smith’s 18-yard TD was the longest by an Eagle in his first NFL game since Willingboro’s Marvin Hargrove caught a 34-yarder from Cunningham against the Cards at the Vet in 1990. 

A defensive first: This was the first time in 13 years and the first time on the road in 35 years that the Eagles did not allow a touchdown in a game where they didn’t force any turnovers. Last time it happened was in a 38-3 win over the Rams in the 2008 opener at the Vet. Last time they did that on the road was in a 10-0 win over the Giants at Giants Stadium in 1976. It was only the sixth time they’ve ever done it.

It was also only the third time in the last 10 years the Eagles have pitched a second-half shutout on the road. They blanked the Cowboys in the second half of a 37-9 win at AT&T Stadium in 2017 and Washington in the second half of a 24-0 win at FedEx in 2018.

Miles of Miles: Miles Sanders had 113 scrimmage yards Sunday and became the fastest Eagle to reach 2,500 career scrimmage yards, doing it in 29 games — one game faster than LeSean McCoy. Sanders now has 2,504 career scrimmage yards.

Here are the 10 fastest Eagles to 2,500 scrimmage yards:

29 games — Miles Sanders 

30 games — LeSean McCoy

34 games —  DeSean Jackson

36 games — Wilbert Montgomery

39 games — Mike Quick

41 games — Tom Sullivan

42 games — Jordan Matthews

42 games — Duce Staley

42 games — Brian Westbrook

43 games — Jeremy Maclin

Sanders, who had trouble with drops last year and in training camp, caught all four passes thrown his way for 39 yards. That’s more receiving yards than he had in any game last year.

 

Garner and Gainwell: Gainwell’s 8-yard touchdown run was the second-longest ever by an Eagle in his first career game, the longest since Charlie Garner’s 28-yarder against the 49ers at Candlestick Park on opening day 1994, some 27 years ago.

His 37 rushing yards are the most by an Eagle in his first game since LeSean McCoy’s 46 — also on nine carries — on opening day 2009 in Carolina.

Gainwell’s 43 scrimmage yards are the most by an Eagle drafted in the fifth round or later in his first NFL game since ninth-round pick Mike Hogan had 44 at Dallas in 1976.

Sack machine: Javon Hargrave recorded his second two-sack game as an Eagle Sunday. He also had one against the Saints last year. He’s the only Eagles interior lineman with a two-sack game since Week 3 of 2018, when Fletcher Cox recorded the second of his career. Over the last 10 years, Cox and Hargrave are the only Eagles defensive tackles with two sacks in a game.

Hargrave is the first Eagles interior lineman with two-sack games in consecutive seasons since Corey Simon in 2001 and 2002.

Blowout city: The 26-point margin of victory was the Eagles’ largest since the 2017 NFC Championship Game, when they beat the Vikings by 31 points, 38-7. It was their largest road margin of victory since earlier in the Super Bowl season, when they beat the Cowboys 37-9 at AT&T.

It was also the largest margin of victory by an Eagles coach in his first game with the Eagles since 1964, when they beat the Giants 38-7 at Franklin Field in Joe Kuharich’s first game. But Kuharich had been a head coach before. The largest previous margin of victory by a rookie coach in his first game was 19 points. That was Doug Pederson in a 29-10 win over the Browns on opening day 2016.

The Eagles’ 32 points were their most in any game since a 34-17 win over the Giants at MetLife late in the 2019 season. Their high point total last year was 29 in a 38-29 loss to the Steelers in Pittsburgh in October.

Doing it in both halves: The Eagles scored 15 points in the first half and 17 in the second half. It was the first time they’ve scored 15 points in both halves of a game since Super Bowl LII in Minneapolis, when they scored 22 in the first half and 19 in the second half against the Patriots.

Then there were the penalties: We have to mention the penalties. The Eagles’ 14 penalties are 10th-most in franchise history, the most since they had 14 in Detroit in 2016, and match the most since they had 15 against the Giants in 2007.

Last time the Eagles committed 14 penalties on the road and won was 1992 in Seattle, when the Eagles committed 17 penalties for 191 yards in a 20-17 overtime win over the Seahawks at the Kingdome.

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Bills made the Steelers an offer they couldn’t refuse, but refused it

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Many NFL teams have fanbases that become famous in their own regard and often transcend the squad they actually root for in terms of notoriety.

The Steelers obviously have Steeler Nation, a proud fanbase that likes to Twirl Terrible Towels at Heinz Field and talk smack on Twitter. The Browns have the Dawg Pound, a raucous fanbase that enjoys wearing dog masks and barking like them while attending games at FirstEnergy Stadium—and annoying Steelers fans on Twitter. The Seahawks have their 12th Man, a fanbase that’s really loud at Lumen Field—and also on Twitter when complaining about Super Bowl XL. The Packers have the Cheeseheads. I’m sure even the Jaguars have a fanbase. What is it known for other than being very quiet during Jaguars games at TIAA Bank Field—and very noisy on Twitter when talking about the previous day’s Florida Gator’s matchup? I think that’s it, actually.

The Bills have a famous fanbase, one that’s grown in notoriety and popularity over the past few seasons, thanks to Buffalo’s ascension from NFL doormat to Super Bowl contender.

I’m talking about the Bills Mafia, a group of fans whose frontline soldiers love to do things like crash through flaming tables while tailgating before games.

What does this prove, other than alcohol is one helluva drug?

I think that’s it. But, also, it shows that this Bills Mafia really believes in its team for the first time in a while and is super-excited to show it.

Perhaps it’s also meant to intimidate.

I don’t know about you, but I’d be pretty darn intimidated if I was an opposing fan watching these yahoos do their thing.

Intimidating the fans in opposing jerseys might be one thing, but it’s a totally different story to intimidate the opposing players when they visit Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York.

The Bills opened their 2021 season by hosting the underdog Steelers on Sunday, and the Mafia—including thousands upon thousands who were in attendance for the Week 1 showdown—made the visitors an offer they thought they couldn’t refuse: “I invited you to my home for one reason: to finally show my family the proper respect, capisce?”

You see, it wasn’t supposed to be an actual showdown between the Mafia and Steeler Nation. It was expected to be a coronation for the Bills and the next step toward them becoming untouchable “Made Men” and Super Bowl champions.

But the Steelers went ahead and refused the Mafia’s offer to lie down and play dead for 60 minutes. Instead, Pittsburgh slapped the Bills in the face right in front of their mothers, fathers, sisters, great aunts, cousins, everyone wearing the Buffalo horns, etc.

It was a show of utter disrespect by the Steelers and a reminder that, to quote Frank Costello in The Departed, “Heavy is the head that wears the crown.” This was in response to Billy Costigan saying, “Yeah, I could probably be you, but I don’t wanna be you, Frank.”

Do the Bills actually want to be Super Bowl contenders? Do they want to wear that heavy crown? The Steelers have worn that crown. Heck, they’re still trying to wear it, even though many have been trying to encourage them to alter their appearance and go into witness protection.

It’s not easy being a Super Bowl contender. It’s not easy having those expectations. It’s not fun to lay an egg in Week 1 in front of a bunch of people who don’t mind throwing themselves through flaming tables for the sake of YouTube.

The Bills Mafia found out one thing this past Sunday afternoon: The rest of the NFL—including the Pittsburgh Steelers—isn’t ready to bow down and kiss your ring just yet.

Capisce?

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“No one could find” Daniel Carlson when Raiders wanted to kick FG in OT

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USA TODAY Sports

Among the many twists and turns that Monday night’s game took before ending with Derek Carr‘s touchdown pass to Zay Jones was the Raiders taking a delay of game penalty when they wanted to try a field goal on the previous play.

On second down from the Baltimore 26-yard-line, Raiders head coach Jon Gruden called for the field goal unit to come on to attempt a game-winning kick. The transition from offense to special teams took longer than usual and the Raiders had already used their timeouts, which led to the penalty once kicker Daniel Carlson and company were on the field.

“Our kicker was warming up in the net,” Gruden said, via Frank Schwab of Yahoo Sports. “No one could find him.”

The Raiders had already failed to score from inside the 1-yard-line on their first overtime possession, so that seemed to further set the stage for a painful loss or tie against the Ravens. Thanks to Carr and Jones, Carlson and Gruden didn’t have to explain the breakdown in operations in the wake of such an outcome.

 

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Derek Carr rallies Las Vegas Raiders past Baltimore Ravens in wild, OT win

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LAS VEGAS — As slow, clunky and ugly as the Las Vegas Raiders’ offense was early Monday night, it was just as efficient late. And as terrible as their defense was last season, it did just enough against the Baltimore Ravens.

In front of a delirious Allegiant Stadium crowd of 61,756 — and in the first regular-season NFL game played in front of fans in the city’s history — the Raiders came back from an early two-touchdown deficit to pull out a 33-27 win over the Ravens in overtime on ESPN’s Monday Night Football.

“I felt like I died and woke up,” Raiders coach Jon Gruden said. “And died again. I was like a cat — I had multiple lives tonight. I don’t like playing like that. It was tough but, again, we did a lot of good things to win that football game tonight.

“Our defense made a signature play at the end of that game and I thought Derek Carr was awesome playing under some really tough circumstances today against a really good defense.”

It was a wild OT period with the Raiders thinking they had won on a 33-yard pass from Carr to Bryan Edwards, who was instead ruled to have been down inside the 1-yard line. Carr was then stuffed on a sneak and a false start penalty on first-round pick Alex Leatherwood at right tackle was followed by Carr’s pass to Willie Snead IV bouncing off him into the end zone for an interception by Anthony Averett.

On the ensuing Ravens drive, Carl Nassib’s strip-sack of Lamar Jackson and Darius Philons recovery at the Ravens’ 27-yard line set up Carr’s game-winning 31-yard pass to Zay Jones with 3:38 remaining in the extra period.

Carr said the game was a microcosm of his eight-year NFL career with the Raiders: “Yes! Crap! Gosh! Dang!”

After a slow start, Carr finished with 435 yards passing and two TDs with the interception in completing 34-of-56 attempts, tied for the third-most passes in a game in his career.

“I hope this is a sign of things to come for us,” said Carr, who has now won a franchise-best five openers for the Raiders, including three straight. “Who cares how we do it, let’s just win, right?”

It was a show unlike anything the glitz and glamour of Las Vegas had ever seen before. Gladys Knight performed the national anthem, rappers Ice Cube and Too $hort staged a halftime concert and, well, Monday Night Football delivered in Sin City. And while the crowd had its hiccups — doing the wave while Raiders defensive tackle Gerald McCoy was carted off the field — it erupted on Jones’ walk-off TD.

“Las Vegas, I tip my hat, you showed up,” said Carr, who said it was the loudest environment he could remember and thanked the fans for being quieter when the offense was on the field. “It got really loud. Las Vegas did their thing and they helped us pull out that win.”

Indeed, it propelled the Raiders’ reconfigured defense as edge rushers Maxx Crosby had two sacks, Yannick Ngakoue tipped a pass and Nassib, the first openly gay active player in NFL history, stopped Jackson on a key third-down play in regulation before his game-altering strip-sack.

“Lot of firsts today,” Nassib said. “No one blinked. It was awesome. It was a great team win, for sure.”

Said Crosby: “For me, the thing that stood out was so many guys making big plays … everybody flying around.”

And this from Carr: “Please, someone praise the defense.”

Daniel Carlson kicked a 55-yard field goal with two seconds remaining in regulation to force overtime.

Gruden did a victory lap, of sorts, slapping hands with fans in Las Vegas’ reimagined Black Hole southern end zone.

With the Raiders’ victory, every team in the AFC and NFC West is 1-0. According to ESPN Stats & Information research, there has never been a week since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger when multiple divisions saw all of its teams win.

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Clayton Kershaw strong in return from forearm injury

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LOS ANGELES — A lot has happened since Dodgers left-hander Clayton Kershaw last took the mound on July 3 at Nationals Park.

The Dodgers acquired Max Scherzer and Trea Turner from the Nationals. Walker Buehler and Julio Urías are now having career seasons. Corey Seager is back from a fractured wrist, and Mookie Betts is hitting at a more consistent clip despite dealing with a hip issue.

All of those positives for the last two and a half months have the Dodgers winning at a ridiculous rate, even with Kershaw missing several months with left forearm tightness. But as well as the Dodgers have played in Kershaw’s absence, there’s no denying that Los Angeles is a better team when the future Hall of Famer is healthy.

After two long months, Kershaw made a successful return to the mound on Monday, allowing one run on four hits over 4 1/3 innings of work in the Dodgers’ 5-1 win over the D-backs at Dodger Stadium.

With the win, the Dodgers’ magic number to clinch a spot in the postseason is down to two. They remain 2 1/2 games behind the Giants, who beat the Padres on Monday, in the National League West race. Los Angeles has 17 games left in the regular season.

“For me to be able to be a part of it is huge,” Kershaw said of rejoining the team as they try to chase down the Giants. “I will never take that for granted ever, to be in a playoff race and to be a part of it. It’s a good one right now. Giants aren’t losing, so they’re not making it easy on us. It’s going to be fun.”

Kershaw’s outing got off to a quick start, striking out D-backs shortstop Nick Ahmed on four pitches. After that, Kershaw ran into some early trouble. Ketel Marte hit a one-out double and Arizona got on the board early as Josh Rojas hit a two-out RBI bloop single into left field.

It took Kershaw 20 pitches to get through the first inning, but the veteran southpaw was able to settle down. Kershaw needed just five pitches to retire the side in order in the third inning. In the fourth, Kershaw struck out Jake McCarthy on a 3-2 slider to strand a runner in scoring position.

As usual, Kershaw leaned on his four-seamer/slider combination for most of the night. He did, however, utilize his curveball more than usual, and it proved to be effective. He threw the pitch 12 times, recording three swings and misses.

“He was throwing the fastball where he wanted to and mixed it up a little bit,” said Dodgers catcher Austin Barnes. “His curveball was really good today and his slider is always there. It was a good outing for Kersh and we’re excited to have him back.”

The one slight concern from Kershaw’s outing was his velocity. Kershaw was sitting at 88-90 mph with his four-seam fastball throughout the night, averaging 89.2 mph on the pitch, down from his 90.7 season average. The velocities on his slider and curveball were also down, but that didn’t stop him from being efficient.

So efficient, in fact, that Kershaw’s outing was a little longer than planned. Kershaw was slated to pitch four innings and throw no more than 60 pitches. But because Kershaw got through four having thrown just 49 pitches, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts felt comfortable with trotting the ace back out on the mound to start the fifth. Kershaw needed one pitch to retire D-backs pitcher Zac Gallen, ending his outing.

“There’s just no way to simulate a big league game, there’s really not,” Kershaw said. “You can do all the bullpens, all the rehabs, all the working out you want, but for whatever reason pitching in a big league game is just different. … I’m glad I got this first one behind me and I’ll have a few more that, hopefully, I can contribute and we can win this thing.”

Kershaw returning certainly boosts the Dodgers’ chances to win another World Series. He gives the Dodgers another proven starter in a rotation that also includes Scherzer, Buehler and Urías. Those four would give the Dodgers a chance against any team in a playoff series.

Kershaw admitted that he didn’t know what his availability would look like as he battled back from the forearm injury. But he was able to return on Monday, much to the delight of his teammates.

“He’s our guy,” said Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner. “We’re all excited to see him back out there.”

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Clayton Kershaw strong in return from forearm injury

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LOS ANGELES — A lot has happened since Dodgers left-hander Clayton Kershaw last took the mound on July 3 at Nationals Park.

The Dodgers acquired Max Scherzer and Trea Turner from the Nationals. Walker Buehler and Julio Urías are now having career seasons. Corey Seager is back from a fractured wrist, and Mookie Betts is hitting at a more consistent clip despite dealing with a hip issue.

All of those positives for the last two and a half months have the Dodgers winning at a ridiculous rate, even with Kershaw missing several months with left forearm tightness. But as well as the Dodgers have played in Kershaw’s absence, there’s no denying that Los Angeles is a better team when the future Hall of Famer is healthy.

After two long months, Kershaw made a successful return to the mound on Monday, allowing one run on four hits over 4 1/3 innings of work in the Dodgers’ 5-1 win over the D-backs at Dodger Stadium.

With the win, the Dodgers’ magic number to clinch a spot in the postseason is down to two. They remain 2 1/2 games behind the Giants, who beat the Padres on Monday, in the National League West race. Los Angeles has 17 games left in the regular season.

“For me to be able to be a part of it is huge,” Kershaw said of rejoining the team as they try to chase down the Giants. “I will never take that for granted ever, to be in a playoff race and to be a part of it. It’s a good one right now. Giants aren’t losing, so they’re not making it easy on us. It’s going to be fun.”

Kershaw’s outing got off to a quick start, striking out D-backs shortstop Nick Ahmed on four pitches. After that, Kershaw ran into some early trouble. Ketel Marte hit a one-out double and Arizona got on the board early as Josh Rojas hit a two-out RBI bloop single into left field.

It took Kershaw 20 pitches to get through the first inning, but the veteran southpaw was able to settle down. Kershaw needed just five pitches to retire the side in order in the third inning. In the fourth, Kershaw struck out Jake McCarthy on a 3-2 slider to strand a runner in scoring position.

As usual, Kershaw leaned on his four-seamer/slider combination for most of the night. He did, however, utilize his curveball more than usual, and it proved to be effective. He threw the pitch 12 times, recording three swings and misses.

“He was throwing the fastball where he wanted to and mixed it up a little bit,” said Dodgers catcher Austin Barnes. “His curveball was really good today and his slider is always there. It was a good outing for Kersh and we’re excited to have him back.”

The one slight concern from Kershaw’s outing was his velocity. Kershaw was sitting at 88-90 mph with his four-seam fastball throughout the night, averaging 89.2 mph on the pitch, down from his 90.7 season average. The velocities on his slider and curveball were also down, but that didn’t stop him from being efficient.

So efficient, in fact, that Kershaw’s outing was a little longer than planned. Kershaw was slated to pitch four innings and throw no more than 60 pitches. But because Kershaw got through four having thrown just 49 pitches, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts felt comfortable with trotting the ace back out on the mound to start the fifth. Kershaw needed one pitch to retire D-backs pitcher Zac Gallen, ending his outing.

“There’s just no way to simulate a big league game, there’s really not,” Kershaw said. “You can do all the bullpens, all the rehabs, all the working out you want, but for whatever reason pitching in a big league game is just different. … I’m glad I got this first one behind me and I’ll have a few more that, hopefully, I can contribute and we can win this thing.”

Kershaw returning certainly boosts the Dodgers’ chances to win another World Series. He gives the Dodgers another proven starter in a rotation that also includes Scherzer, Buehler and Urías. Those four would give the Dodgers a chance against any team in a playoff series.

Kershaw admitted that he didn’t know what his availability would look like as he battled back from the forearm injury. But he was able to return on Monday, much to the delight of his teammates.

“He’s our guy,” said Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner. “We’re all excited to see him back out there.”

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Los Angeles Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw throws 50 pitches in return from IL, allows 1 run with 5 K’s

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Clayton Kershaw recorded 13 outs, allowed only one run and left his Monday start against the Arizona Diamondbacks to a rousing ovation, a fitting end to an encouraging return for the Los Angeles Dodgers’ iconic left-hander.

Kershaw, pitching for the first time since getting shut down with elbow inflammation more than two months ago, recorded five strikeouts and allowed five baserunners in 4⅓ innings at Dodger Stadium.

His fastball averaged a tick below 90 mph, but he generated a combined eight swing-and-misses with his two breaking balls and seemed to get sharper as his outing progressed.

Kershaw, 33 and winding down the final season of his contract, is lined up for at least three more starts this regular season and should be stretched out as a traditional starting pitcher by October, at which point he’ll join Max Scherzer, Walker Buehler and Julio Urias to help make up a devastating postseason rotation (assuming the Dodgers, 2½ games behind the San Francisco Giants, can advance into the National League Division Series).

Kershaw, six days removed from his lone rehab start in the minor leagues, allowed his only run on two hits and a walk in the first inning. He retired 10 of 12 thereafter and exited after throwing his 50th pitch.

The Dodgers beat the Diamondbacks 5-1 for their seventh straight home win.

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Derek Carr 31-yard touchdown pass to Zay Jones lifts Raiders to 33-27 OT win over Ravens

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Getty Images

It took two “walk-off” touchdowns for the Las Vegas Raiders to finally earn a 33-27 victory over the Baltimore Ravens on Monday night.

Derek Carr hit Zay Jones for a 31-yard touchdown in overtime to finally give Las Vegas the win minutes after it appeared they had won the game on a pass from Carr to Bryan Edwards. Carr found Edwards for what appeared to be a 33-yard touchdown pass on the opening possession of overtime that had the two teams exchanging pleasantries on the field believing the game was over. Edwards was eventually ruled down at the 1-yard line and the Raiders couldn’t close the deal.

Carr was stuffed on a quarterback sneak, Alex Leatherwood false started and then Carr was intercepted in the end zone on a deflected pass intended for Willie Snead IV by Anthony Averett to give the Ravens life. However, Carl Nassib would sack Lamar Jackson and force a fumble on Baltimore’s next drive that gave the ball back to the Raiders for a second chance to seal away the game. The Raiders were going to attempt a field goal only for a delay of game to move them back to a slightly less comfortable yardage. Carr then hit Jones for the walk-off win.

Carr finished the night with 435 yards passing with two touchdowns and the overtime interception.

After jumping out to a 14-0 lead, the Ravens offense stagnated. On a Jackson scramble, Quinton Jefferson punched the ball free as Denzel Perryman recovered to give the ball back to the Raiders at the Baltimore 41-yard line.

Jacobs converted a third down and a check down to Kenyan Drake for 16 yards moved Las Vegas inside the red zone before Jacobs’ touchdown run brought the game back to level, 17-17, with 9:18 left to play. Jacobs finished with a pair of touchdowns for Las Vegas.

The Ravens immediately answered on the next drive as Jackson connected with Sammy Watkins on a 49-yard strike to move Baltimore to the Raiders’ 8-yard line. Just three days after signing with the Ravens, Latavius Murray scored from eight yards out to put the Ravens back on top.

Carr and the Raiders would counter punch as well. A 37-yard connection from Carr to Henry Ruggs on third-and-10 moved the Raiders to the Baltimore 10-yard line. Even a holding penalty on Leatherwood didn’t stall the drive as a 10-yard touchdown pass from Carr to Darren Waller again brought the game level at 24-24.

Jackson scrambled through the Raiders defense for 28 yards before Justin Tucker‘s 47-yard field goal put Baltimore back ahead, 27-24, with 37 seconds remaining. But Carr and the Raiders wouldn’t go quietly into the night.

Carr connected with Bryan Edwards on back-to-back throws for 20 and 18 yards, respectively, with a pair of spikes to stop the clock before Daniel Carlson drilled a 55-yard field goal with two seconds left to send the game to overtime.

Jackson finished 19 of 30 for 235 yards and a touchdown and two lost fumbles. He fumbled three times overall for Baltimore.

The Ravens had won their last five season openers prior to Monday night in Las Vegas.

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What went wrong for Clay Helton at USC

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It finally happened.

Nearly six years after his unexpected appointment as the head coach at USC, Clay Helton’s tenure in Los Angeles is over. Athletic director Mike Bohn’s decision to cut bait Monday just two games into the 2021 season is an acknowledgment of what most people who watch the Trojans have understood for years: Helton was never going to restore USC as a consistent national power.

It’s as apparent as it was on Monday as it was in 2018 when Helton coached the Trojans to their first losing season since 2000, but the reality is the job was always too big. Had it not been for Steve Sarkisian’s early-season dismissal in 2015, Helton never would have received the opportunity to lead a program anywhere near USC’s caliber. His coaching résumé wouldn’t have allowed it.

At the time, however, Helton was the adult in the room, and that’s what USC needed to navigate the rest of that tumultuous year without further off-field embarrassment. As an interim coach, he made sense and he did about as well as he could have, winning five of seven games before Pat Haden removed the interim tag and made him the permanent coach. Haden’s decision was baffling in the sense that he didn’t make a serious attempt to fill the job with an external candidate, and it predated his own resignation announcement by only two months.

It’s easy to say Haden shouldn’t have been the one to make the hire, if not for the ineptitude of his replacement, Lynn Swann.

To understand Helton’s tenure, it’s important to know how well-liked he was by those around him. The list of people who don’t respect his football acumen is long, but as a person? It’s nearly impossible to find someone who has interacted with him who has something bad to say.

Whether that should factor into a coach’s job security is certainly debatable, but that — and some fortuitous timing — is the primary reason why he lasted so long.

If Helton never had any success, his nice-guy persona wouldn’t have really mattered, but he did. USC won the Rose Bowl in his first season as the permanent head coach and finished ranked No. 3 in the AP poll. The Trojans won the Pac-12 the next year. That type of early success would buy any coach some time, even if it did mask lopsided losses to Alabama (52-6), Stanford (27-10), Notre Dame (49-14) and Ohio State (24-7) during those two years.

Helton’s third year in charge was an absolute disaster. To go 5-7 at USC while the Pac-12 was in a collective downturn was a fireable offense, but Swann didn’t have the ruthlessness it would have taken to fire a coach a year after he won the conference.

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Keyshawn Johnson explains why USC losing recruits to out-of-state programs was a significant reason why the program parted ways with coach Clay Helton.

Swann felt obligated to issue a statement defending Helton’s retention and extended his contract two months later, saying Helton “has shown that he can lead our team with integrity and stability and that he has the ability to win conference and national championships.”

The following September, Swann followed Haden out the door, and it wasn’t until November 2019, with one game left in the regular season, that Bohn was hired. Again, Bohn would have been justified to make a change — it certainly would have ingratiated himself with the school’s proud fan base — but there was apprehension about rushing into a process that he needed to get right.

Ultimately, Bohn wanted more time to evaluate what he was inheriting, so when it came to making a change, he was better equipped to find the right coach.

Then came the pandemic. Nothing about the 2020 season, especially in the Pac-12 and Los Angeles, was anything close to normal, so it makes little sense to place much value on what happened on the field. He wasn’t going to be fired after going 5-1 with that loss in the conference title game, which brings us here.

In firing Helton after just two games, Bohn delivered a statement that USC fans have long been waiting for. Mediocre isn’t good enough. Blowout losses at home won’t be tolerated. As soon as Stanford’s lead was insurmountable, it ensured Helton’s job status would be the primary topic of discussion for the rest of the season. Unless, of course, Helton was let go.

The timing helps on two fronts: First, it will allow USC fans to feel optimistic again. Savior speculation can be fun. Second, it gives Bohn — who undoubtedly has had candidates in mind since he arrived — time to go about the search in a methodical fashion.

Despite the relative lack of success since Pete Carroll’s departure, USC remains a place where winning big should be the expectation. It checks all the boxes that have always been necessary to compete for national championships and now, with the introduction of name, image and likeness rules, is even better positioned to attract the best talent in the country.

Let the speculation begin.

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