Marshawn Lynch runs for TD in Raiders' 45-20 win over Jets

 Marshawn Lynch's Oakland homecoming turned into a dance party .

Lynch celebrated his first home game for his hometown team by running for a touchdown and delighting the fans with a lengthy sideline dance in the fourth quarter of the Raiders 45-20 victory over the New York Jets on Sunday.

"That's Marshawn being Marshawn, playing for his hometown team," left tackle Donald Penn said. "If you grow up as a kid and grow up rooting for a team and then you get to play for them, wouldn't that be a dream? I'm just happy for him. He's living a childhood dream."

Lynch ran for 45 yards on 12 carries, scoring on a 2-yard run late in the first half. He kept the ball and said after the game he plans to give it to his mother. He then generated perhaps even bigger cheers during a sideline dance that was shown on the videoboard during a stoppage in the fourth quarter, prompting cheers of "Beast Mode! Beast Mode!"

"It got me fired up," coach Jack Del Rio said. "You can see the pure passion that he has. These are his people. These are my people. He played well. I know he was really happy to have his first game go like that."

Moments like these were why Lynch decided to come out of retirement this offseason. He made his decision after the Raiders announced plans to move to Las Vegas in 2020. Lynch said he wanted to give something back to his hometown fans and he delivered in a big way.

He was greeted with loud cheers in pregame introductions and that continued throughout the game.

His teammates provided many more things to cheer. Derek Carr threw three touchdown passes to Michael Crabtree, and Cordarrelle Patterson and Jalen Richard each added long touchdown runs to help give the Raiders (2-0) wins in the opening two games of the season for the first time since their AFC championship season in 2002.

Josh McCown threw a pair of TD passes to Jermaine Kearse , but the Jets (0-2) proved to be no match for the more powerful and talented Raiders.

The Raiders vaunted offensive line won the matchup against New York's front four , allowing no sacks and helping clear holes for a 180-yard rushing performance.

"As a defense, our job is to stop the run," defensive tackle Kony Ealy said. "It's very frustrating to do that. Nobody to blame but ourselves. We've got to look in the mirror and stop that problem ourselves."

Oakland wore down the Jets and got a 43-yard touchdown run by Patterson late in the third quarter and a 52-yarder by Richard early in the fourth that made it 35-13.

CARR TO CRAB: Carr and Crabtree were in sync all game. With the Jets looking for a run from Lynch from the 2 in the first quarter, Carr found Crabtree on a fade for a TD . The two connected again on a 26-yard score in the second quarter and then a 1-yarder in the fourth quarter that made it 42-13.

MOMENTUM SHIFT: After falling behind 14-0, the Jets got back into the game and were set to take possession late in the first half trailing by only four. But Kalif Raymond dropped a punt that Johnny Holton recovered for Oakland at the 4. Three plays later, Lynch ran it in from the 2 to make it 21-10 at the half.

"You've got a job to do, then you've got to go back there and do it," Raymond said. "I think it was a big change in the game. It's definitely one I wish I could have back."

FLAG DAY: The Raiders were a little overaggressive. They committed three unnecessary roughness penalties and one unsportsmanlike conduct foul in the first half, helping extend the drives that led to 10 points for the Jets. The culprits were Lee Smith, Jon Feliciano, Bruce Irvin and Marquel Lee.

INJURIES: With their top two tight ends Eric Tomlinson and Jordan Leggett out with injuries, the Jets often used six or even seven lineman to make up for their absence. ... New York G Brian Winters (abdomen) and LB Freddie Bishop (ankle) were hurt during the game. ... Raiders CB Sean Smith was out with a neck injury, giving rookie Gareon Conley lots of playing time in his debut.

UP NEXT

Jets: host Miami on Sunday in their home opener.

Raiders: travel to Washington for a Sunday night game.

Carr, Raiders edge out Titans yet again 26-16

 Derek Carr showed the advantage of having a year of experience and a better supporting cast in a season opener pitting two of the NFL's rising, young quarterbacks.

Carr threw for 262 yards and two touchdowns, and Oakland beat Tennessee 26-16 to give Carr his third straight win over Marcus Mariota and his Titans in as many years.

"It was fun to be back out," Carr said.

Amari Cooper caught a TD pass as the Raiders made the Titans pay for opening the season with an onside kick they couldn't recover.

Marshawn Lynch also looked very refreshed after his year away from football. Lynch finished with 18 carries for 76 yards - 10 in the fourth quarter.

"We're one for one with that," Raiders coach Jack Del Rio said of using Lynch late. "And that's the idea to be able to close these things, and we did that very well."

Giorgio Tavecchio kicked field goals of 20, 52, 52 and 43 yards in his NFL debut. He was signed Friday to fill in for the Raiders' all-time leading scorer and 18-year veteran Sebastian Janikowski, who's on injured reserve with a bad back.

Both Carr and Mariota broke their right leg hours apart on Christmas Eve for season-ending injuries. Carr finished his third season by tying Ezekiel Elliott of Dallas for third in voting for the AP MVP award after leading Oakland to a 12-4 season, while Mariota led the Titans to a 9-7 mark in just his second season.

Mariota looked healthy in running for a 10-yard TD and threw for 256 yards.

While Mariota was healthy for training camp, the Titans' top offseason additions of rookie wide receiver Corey Davis and veteran Eric Decker weren't. The Titans had to settle for a pair of Ryan Succop field goals after driving inside the Oakland 10.

"When you play against a good team like Oakland, you have to hit on all cylinders, and unfortunately we didn't make enough plays," Mariota said.

ONSIDE KICK

The Titans became the first team since 2009 to open a season with an onside kick. The Minnesota Vikings were the previous, and they also didn't recover the kick. Ryan Succop's kick went to Shalom Luani. Carr completed three passes, Lynch rumbled 14 yards on his first carry, and Cooper finished the drive with an 8-yard TD catch for a quick 7-0 lead .

Titans coach Mike Mularkey defended his decision to open with an onside kick, saying he wanted the ball for his offense. No, he didn't second-guess himself. "Not for a second," Mularkey said.

BEAST MODE

Lynch took the first carry of the game for Oakland and rumbled right over Pro Bowl defensive lineman Jurrell Casey on the Raiders' final scoring drive on one of his six rushes to set up the clinching field goal.

Lynch accidentally interrupted Del Rio's postgame interview and told a team official he had been available for three minutes. "They didn't holler at me. I'm good right?" Lynch said to laughter before closing the door and leaving.

BLAME ME

After Lynch picked up a first down on fourth-and-1 inside the Titans 5, the Raiders didn't give him the ball again with Carr throwing three straight passes to Cooper.

The wide receiver dropped the first, Titans rookie Adoree Jackson got a hand in breaking up the second and Titans linebacker Brian Orakpo got his right fingers on the third that Cooper couldn't pull in at the back of the end zone.

Carr complimented Jackson's play while also blaming himself for not making better throws. "I'm completely fine with saying I screwed up," Carr said. "I did a couple times. It always happens in a Week 1, but when you win you can sit back and realize that we could've had so much more."

HITTING CARR

The Raiders led the NFL in 2016 in the fewest sacks allowed and went 10 games allowing one sack or fewer. The Titans sacked Carr on back-to-back plays early in the second quarter with Wesley Woodyard, then Derrick Morgan taking the quarterback down. Tennessee didn't get to Carr again.

UP NEXT

Raiders: Host Jets.

Titans: Visit Jaguars.

Raiders beat Jaguars 33-16, get Del Rio win vs former team

Oakland Raiders coach Jack Del Rio heard boos throughout his return to Jacksonville. Most of them weren't directed at him.

Latavius Murray scored twice in his first game back from turf toe, and the Raiders handled the listless Jaguars 33-16 Sunday and gave Del Rio a victory against his former team.

"It is good to come back here and get a good effort in this stadium," said Del Rio, who was given the game ball by quarterback Derek Carr in the locker room.

Murray, who missed the past two games, finished with 59 yards on 18 carries. Michael Crabtree caught eight passes for 96 yards and a touchdown from Carr, Sebastian Janikowski kicked four field goals and Oakland played the kind of defense Del Rio has been looking for all season.

The result was the team's most complete win of the season. The Raiders improved to 4-0 on the road and moved to 5-2 for the first time since 2001.

"Any back wants the ball in his hands, and I'm one of them," Murray said. "When we run the ball, we do good things. I definitely think I got into a good comfort early on in the game and it felt good. The line of scrimmage is where it all starts and they played great up front there today. They were able to get me past there and into the second level."

The Jaguars (2-4) dropped a third straight at EverBank Field and added more speculation about the future of coach Gus Bradley.

Jacksonville fell to 14-40 during Bradley's four seasons, and the latest loss was filled with poor execution on both sides of the ball and a lack of discipline down the stretch. The Jaguars finished with 13 penalties for 122 yards and had two players ejected.

"As a professional in the NFL, that's not what it's supposed to look like by any means," veteran linebackerPaul Posluszny said.

"So that's what makes you mad. We're in the NFL. We need to have high standards for how we conduct ourselves at all times. I've never seen anything like that before. And that's unacceptable on a lot of different levels.

"Fans don't want to see that, you guys don't want to see that and we don't want to be a part of it."

Del Rio had to be thrilled with the outcome, getting the franchise its first win in three trips to Jacksonville. Del Rio spent nine years coaching the Jaguars and was fired with five games remaining in the 2011 season.

Del Rio was jeered while jogging onto the field with his team before the game.

The louder heckles came later - for the Jags.

Blake Bortles threw two more interceptions and had a garbage-time touchdown. Allen Robinson caught two passes for 9 yards. The Jaguars finished with 344 yards of offense - the fewest gained against the league's worst-ranked defense this season.

"Obviously not playing good," Bortles said. "I couldn't tell you. I wish I knew; I'd fix it. It's just a continual thing and hopefully we can find a way to turn it around and solve some problems."

JAGUARS MELTDOWN

First, receiver Marqise Lee was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct and then defensive tackle Malik Jacksonwas penalized twice on the same play. It was an obvious meltdown near the end of a frustrating day for the Jaguars. Jackson was penalized for roughing the passer on a third-and-10 play and then given another 15-yarder for using abusive language toward an official. He was ejected four plays later following another exchange with an official. Jackson ran to the locker room, seemingly eager to get off the field early.

Jaguars cornerback Jalen Ramsey and Raiders receiver Johnny Holton were ejected for fighting in the final minutes of the lopsided matchup.

"It was embarrassing," Jaguars tight end Marcedes Lewis said. "What we put out today is not who we are."

RED ZONE WOES

The Jaguars again struggled to score touchdowns in the red zone. They settled for two short field goals in three trips inside the 20-yard line against the Raiders, throwing an interception from the 18 and then failing to convert from the 8- and 9-yard lines. It's become a trend.

THROAT SLASH

Crabtree was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct after his TD catch late in the first half. Replays showed back judge Steve Freeman signaling that Crabtree performed a throat-slash gesture, which has been banned by the league since 1999. Crabtree refused to talk to reporters after the game.

"It's nice to have two No. 1 receivers," Carr said, referring to Crabtree and Amari Cooper. "You look around the league and some teams are looking for one. ... It's a good problem to have."

Ware, Smith help lead Chiefs to 26-10 over Raiders

With two weeks to stew over a lopsided loss, the Kansas City Chiefs went back to basics and put together a balanced offense that allowed the running game to shine.

Spencer Ware ran for a career-high 131 yards and a touchdown, Alex Smith picked apart Oakland's struggling defense and the Kansas City Chiefs shut out Derek Carr and the Raiders in the second half of a 26-10 victory Sunday.

"That's the game we play," said defensive lineman Dontari Poe, who got into the act on offense with a TD run of his own.

"You come out sometimes and it doesn't go your way, but you got to make sure it goes your way the next time. Can't keep on the downward spiral. You got to get it back up."

In their first game since getting blown out by 29 points in Pittsburgh two weeks ago, the Chiefs (3-2) efficiently handled a Raiders team that had overcome defensive shortcomings with a big-play offense to lead the AFC West.

Smith completed 19 of 22 passes for 224 yards and the Chiefs forced two turnovers by Carr to dampen a fast start to the season by the Raiders (4-2), who are trying to end a 13-year playoff drought.

"I felt like we did a great job taking our shot today and when we did, hitting them," Smith said. "But certainly the running game got us going and staying with that. Those guys drove it down in the beginning."

Marcus Peters set up Ware's TD run with an early interception of Carr and Dee Ford forced a fumble from Carr in the fourth quarter to end any hopes of a late comeback.

After allowing a touchdown on the opening drive, the Chiefs held the Raiders to one field goal the rest of the way.

"It hurts man," Carr said. "We didn't do good enough at all. That was bad. That was a bad performance by us."

BIG-MAN TD: The 346-pound Poe showed off some versatility. With the Chiefs facing 3rd-and-goal from the 1 in the third quarter, Poe came in as an eligible receiver. He initially lined up in the backfield before shifting out wide right. He then took a lateral from Smith and bulled with way into the end zone for the TD . It was the first TD run by a defensive player since Poe had won last year against San Diego.

"I'm taking credit for that one for all the chubby guys out there," coach Andy Reid said. "He's got phenomenal hands. ... It's just a matter of looking it in, be patient and then cut the beast loose."

WELCOME BACK: After getting only two carries in his first game back from a torn ACL, Jamaal Charlesplayed a bigger role this week. He scored his first TD since Sept. 28, 2015, with a 4-yard run midway through the second quarter. Charles finished with nine carries for 33 yards and two catches for 14 yards.

QUICK TURNAROUND: Just when it looked as if the Chiefs would add on to a 13-7 lead late in the first half, there was a major momentum shift. Spencer Ware was stopped for a 2-yard loss on third-and-1 by Stacy McGee and Cairo Santos missed a 38-yard field goal. The Raiders took over with 25 seconds left and one timeout. But Carr quickly completed three passes for 44 yards and then spiked the ball with 1 second left, setting up a 46-yard field goal by Sebastian Janikowski that cut Kansas City's lead to 13-10 at the half.

All that momentum was erased when Kansas City took the second-half kickoff and drove down for a touchdown.

"To come out and let them go right down the field to start the second half, that's a major can't do," coach Jack Del Rio said.

HAPPY HOMECOMING: For the second straight year, Peters had an interception in his return to his hometown. Peters left the game for a bit in the second half to go through the concussion protocol, but was cleared and able to return.

FAST START: The Raiders jumped out early, thanks to a 50-yard return of the opening kick by Jalen Richard. Carr completed four of five passes on the ensuing drive, including a 3-yarder to Andre Holmes that made it 7-0 with Oakland's second first-drive TD of the season. That was about it for highlights for the Raiders as Carr struggled in the rain and wasn't helped by dropped third-down passes from Seth Roberts and Richard.

Raiders take advantage of Chargers mistakes in 34-31 win

 Derek Carr threw a go-ahead 21-yard touchdown pass to Michael Crabtree on a fourth-and-2 gamble and added another TD pass to Amari Cooper to lead the Oakland Raiders to a 34-31 victory over the mistake-prone San Diego Chargers.

San Diego (1-4) committed four turnovers and then botched the hold on a potential tying field goal. Rookie Drew Kasercouldn't hold the snap on what would have been a 36-yard field goal attempt.

The Raiders (4-1) took over with 2 minutes left and ran out most of the clock to get a third straight win for the first time in five years and hand San Diego its 10th straight division loss.

Oakland took the lead on a bold call late in the third quarter. Facing a fourth-and-2 at the 21 late in the third quarter trailing by five, coach Jack Del Rio once again trusted his offense to make a big play and it paid off.

Carr found Crabtree deep down the left side for the touchdown that put the Raiders up 25-24. A 2-point conversion pass to Cooper gave Oakland a three-point lead and Jamize Olawale added a 1-yard run that made it 34-24 on a drive set up by Kaser's 16-yard punt.

Carr threw for 317 yards, including a 64-yard pass earlier in the third quarter that gave Cooper his first touchdown of the season. Cooper had six catches for a career-high 138 yards.

Philip Rivers threw for 365 yards and four scores for the Chargers, who were once again done in by their own mistakes. San Diego has three losses already this season in games it led at the two-minute warning.

BIG PLAY ROOKIE: First-round pick Karl Joseph, who started the season on the bench in Oakland, has made a big impact since becoming a starter in Week 3. He intercepted a pass from Rivers late in the first half to set up a field goal and then recovered a fumble to Melvin Gordon to set up Crabtree's TD.

BOSA'S DEBUT: Chargers defensive end Joey Bosa made an impressive debut after missing training camp during a nasty contract dispute and sitting out the first four games with a hamstring injury. He came in on the second drive and had a sack and a tackle for loss. He added a second sack in the fourth quarter.

FAIL TO CONVERT: The Raiders twice had first-and-goal in the first half and had to settle for short field goals. On both drives, Carr appeared to have a touchdown - except Cooper couldn't get both feet inbounds on catches near the sideline. Sebastian Janikowski attempted two other field goals in the first half, missing from 50 yards and connecting from 56 on the final play of the half to make it 10-9.

GIVE IT AWAY: After committing turnovers on the final three drives in last week's loss to New Orleans , the Chargers picked up where they left off. Antonio Gates was stripped on San Diego's first drive and lost a fumble with the Chargers in position to score. Rivers then was intercepted by Sean Smith on a deep pass on the Chargers next play from scrimmage. Rivers threw another interception late in the half, giving San Diego six turnovers in eight possessions. San Diego committed a fourth turnover late in the third quarter when Gordon fumbled, setting up Oakland's go-ahead score.

Carr throws 4 TD passes as Raiders beat Ravens 28-27

For the first time in years, the Oakland Raiders have developed a knack for winning on the road.

Derek Carr threw four touchdown passes, the last to Michael Crabtree with 2:12 left, and the Raiders beat the previously undefeated Baltimore Ravens 28-27 on Sunday.

After the Ravens rallied from a nine-point deficit in the fourth quarter to go ahead with 3 1/2 minutes remaining, Carr directed a 66-yard drive that ended with a 23-yard strike to Crabtree in the back of the end zone.

The last time Oakland (3-1) won its first three road games of the season was in 2002.

East coast, West coast, the Raiders don't care.

"We really at some point stopped talking about the time zones and all that," coach Jack Del Rio said. "I think good football teams find a way to play well wherever they are."

Carr went 25 for 35 for 199 yards. Three of his TD passes were to Crabtree, who finished with seven catches for 88 yards.

The Ravens (3-1) trailed 14-3 in the second quarter and 21-12 with 11:11 to go before coming back.

A 52-yard touchdown pass from Joe Flacco to Steve Smith cut the deficit to 21-19. Ravens defensive tackleLawrence Guy then forced a fumble by DeAndre Washington, and Baltimore recovered at the Oakland 17.

Four plays later, Terrance West scored from the 3 to give Baltimore its first lead.

Oakland had the appropriate response, dropping the Ravens to 49-17 at home over the past nine seasons.

"At the end of the day just a gritty, gritty win," Del Rio said. "A great road win against a really good football team."

The Ravens won their previous three games by excelling in the fourth quarter. This game was a throwback to last year, when Carr pulled out a 37-33 win over Baltimore.

Operating against a porous defense ranked 32nd in the NFL, the Ravens didn't reach the end zone until deep into the third quarter. Flacco was pressured in the pocket for much of the afternoon, in part because starting left tackle Ronnie Stanley was inactive with a foot injury.

Baltimore was called for offensive holding five times and yielded two sacks.

The Ravens closed to 14-12 with 2:41 left in the third quarter when Flacco bulled in from the 1 to complete a 72-yard drive that consumed seven minutes.

The comeback lost some steam when Bruce Irvin sacked Flacco, forcing a fumble that Oakland recovered on the Baltimore 29.

That led to a 13-yard touchdown pass to Crabtree after the Ravens jumped offside on a fourth-and-1.

NUMBERS LIE

Raiders: Despite getting only 13 first downs and 261 yards, in addition to being penalized 12 times for 93 yards, Oakland found a way to win.

Ravens: Flacco went 32 for 52 for 298 yards, and the Ravens amassed 412 yards in offense. Unfortunately for the Ravens, all their points over the first 42 minutes came from Justin Tucker .

QUOTABLE:

Raiders: Del Rio on Crabtree: "He's been sensational since Day One. He's a real pro, he's a tough guy, he loves football, he's really competitive and he's got great hands."

Ravens: "You put pressure on yourself when you have that many penalties," said coach John Harbaugh, referring to Baltimore's 10 penalties for 105 yards.

NO FORSETT: After starting the Ravens' first three games, RB Justin Forsett was placed on the inactive list. ... West ran for a career-high 113 yards and Javorius Allen picked up 13 in his season debut. Flacco has two of Baltimore's three rushing TDs this season.

INJURIES: Raiders: TE Lee Smith (ankle) was hurt in the second quarter and did not return. ... LB Malcolm Smith left in the fourth quarter with a groin injury.

Ravens: S Eric Weddle and S Lardarius Webb both underwent concussion protocol in the fourth quarter but returned to play. ... CB Maurice Canady (thigh) left in the first quarter. ... TE Maxx Williams (knee) missed most of the second half.

UP NEXT

Raiders: Oakland begins a two-game homestand against AFC West foes next Sunday, hosting San Diego before Kansas City comes to town on Oct. 16.

Ravens: A matchup against neighboring rival Washington looms for the Ravens at home next Sunday.

Oakland D forces 3 turnovers as Raiders beat Titans 17-10

To Derek Carr, it's time for all the critics to stop picking on the Oakland Raiders defense.

Carr threw for 249 yards and a touchdown, and the Raiders beat the Tennessee Titans 17-10 on Sunday with their defense finally coming up with some big plays.

"They won the game for us," Carr said. "That right there was a prime example of what I've seen every day in practice. That's why I kept saying what I was saying. It's hard to complete balls against them."

The Raiders (2-1) forced three turnovers and had a sack after coming into this game having given up more yards than any team since at least 1940 through the first two games. Coach Jack Del made a couple of lineup changes, starting linebacker Cory James and rookie safety Karl Joseph, their top draft pick.

Oakland took control in the second quarter, scoring 10 points and outgaining the Titans 129-40 to take a 17-3 lead into halftime.

The Titans (1-2) rallied from a 15-3 deficit a week ago in beating Detroit 16-15 , and they thought they at least had forced overtime when Marcus Mariota found Andre Johnson alone in the end zone for a touchdown. But officials flagged Johnson for interference on Raiders cornerback TJ Carrie.

"If he wouldn't have fell down, it wouldn't have been called," Johnson said.

Two plays later, Carrie appeared to grab Harry Douglas in the end zone on the Titans' final play with no flag thrown. Carr knelt to run out the clock as the Raiders escaped with a win.

Titans coach Mike Mularkey said he needed to watch the tape on some of the plays.

"I need to be careful," Mularkey said.

LEWAN'S PENALTY: Titans left tackle Taylor Lewan may have had the costliest penalty. He apologized to his teammates for an unnecessary roughness penalty that backed the Titans from the Oakland 3 to the 18 with 50 seconds left.

Tajae Sharpe caught a 19-yard pass and was being tackled when Lewan flew in to clean up the pile. Officials flagged him, costing Tennessee first-and-goal at the 3 with 50 seconds left to first-and-10 at the Raiders 18. Asked about the penalty, Mularkey said Lewan and the Raiders thought the play was still alive.

"Everybody but the officials," Mularkey said.

MARIOTA'S TURNOVERS: Mariota turned the ball over three times, and the No. 2 pick overall in the 2015 draft now has lost three fumbles with four interceptions already this season. The Raiders turned a fumble forced by Bruce Irvin into a field goal and a 10-3 lead. That was all the points the Raiders got off his mistakes.

NICE OPENING: Latavius Murray didn't touch the ball on Oakland's opening drive until he was handed the ball on the final play. Then, he ran 22 yards up the middle for a touchdown to put the Raiders ahead to stay. Carr also tossed a 19-yard TD pass to Seth Roberts late in the second quarter against a Tennessee defense that had allowed only one offensive TD through the first two games.

NFL RECORD: Raiders kicker Sebastian Janikowski became the NFL's career leader in field goals made from 50 yards and out when he connected from 52 with 8:13 left in the second quarter. He gave the Raiders a 10-3 lead on the 53rd field goal of 50 or more yards for the 17-year veteran, which broke a tie with Jason Hanson, who had 52 such field goals in 21 NFL seasons. His field goal came after a holding penalty wiped out a TD pass by Carr.

MR. MURRAY: Murray, the NFL's 2014 offensive player of the year, helped the Titans get back into the game. He reeled off a 36-yard run with the Titans backed up near the own end zone, and he capped a 93-yard drive by outracing a pair of Oakland defenders around the right side to the end zone for a 5-yard TD with 5:51 left in the third quarter. It was Murray's first TD running the ball this season.

He also ran for 114 yards on 16 carries to become the first running back to reach 100 yards in a game since the 2013 season finale.

Falcons use deflected TD pass to beat Raiders 35-28

On a day dominated by the offenses, a fortunate bounce was the difference.

Justin Hardy caught a deflected 8-yard touchdown pass to break a tie midway through the fourth quarter and the Atlanta Falcons held on to beat the Oakland Raiders 35-28 on Sunday.

"Sometimes you need a little luck, right?" said quarterback Matt Ryan, who threw for 396 yards and three TDs. "For us, we talk about, in our building all the time, good things happen to people who run. Hardy was busting his tail on the back side and ended up being in the right spot at the right time, and it ended up being a huge play for us. That was a good bounce."

Ryan's third-down throw to Tevin Coleman was broken up, but the ball bounced high in the air and Hardy caught it in the end zone to put Atlanta (1-1) up 28-21.

"Sometimes the ball doesn't go your way, the bounces don't go your way," Raiders coach Jack Del Rio said.

The Raiders (1-1) appeared to tie the game on the next drive when Amari Cooper caught a 51-yard touchdown pass from Derek Carr. But Desmond Trufant pushed Cooper went out of bounds before he came back in to make the catch and officials ruled the contact was legal because Carr was out of the pocket.

"I can have my hands on him and I pushed him out," Trufant said. "That's Day 1 for DBs. Push him out of bounds, he can't touch the ball. So I knew the play was over . for him at least."

Del Rio then decided to go for it on fourth-and-2, but Jalen Richard was stopped on a 1-yard gain.

Del Rio had successfully gone on fourth-and-goal earlier in the game, leading to a 2-yard TD pass to Michael Crabtree, and went for a late 2-point conversion to beat New Orleans 35-34 last week in the season opener.

But this latest gamble proved costly as Atlanta added an insurance touchdown on a 13-yard touchdown run by Tevin Coleman to deny the Raiders their first 2-0 start since their 2002 AFC championship season.

BAD D: The Raiders allowed 528 yards of offense, becoming the first team since the 1967 Falcons to give up at least 500 yards in each of the first two games of the season, according to Pro Football Reference. Oakland has allowed 1,035 yards through two games, the worst mark ever. Del Rio said he takes the blame.

"I take it way more personally than him because it's my defense and it's a shame," defensive lineman Khalil Macksaid. "It's a hurtful feeling."

RELIABLE TARGETS: Ryan frequently found his tight ends for big gains, completing 10 passes for 180 yards and a TD to Jacob Tamme , Austin Hooper and Levine Toilolo.

REPRIEVE: The Falcons appeared to stop the Raiders on the opening drive of the second half before a bonehead penalty gave Oakland a second chance. Atlanta had 12 men on the field on the punt and Oakland got a first down when Del Rio challenged the play and officials ruled Dashon Goldson didn't get off the field in time. Four plays later, Carr found Clive Walford for a 31-yard TD pass that put the Raiders up 14-13.

RED ZONE SWING: The Falcons moved the ball fairly easily early in the game, but struggled to punch it in the end zone. The team's first three trips into the red zone ended in a pair of short field goals and an interception. Ryan twice completed third-down passes inside the 5 that came up short of the end zone, leading to field goals by Matt Bryant. In the third quarter, Ryan was late on a pass in the end zone to an open Jacob Tamme and David Amerson intercepted it . The Falcons then scored TDs on their next three red zone trips.

FIRST SACK: After getting just 19 sacks last season for the fewest in the NFL since 2009 and getting none in the opener, the Falcons got their first of the season against Carr. Vic Beasley forced Carr out of the pocket and Carr ran out of bounds for no gain, which officially counts as a sack. It was also the first allowed by Oakland this season.

Gutsy call lifts Raiders past Saints, 35-34

For Oakland coach Jack Del Rio, calling for a do-or-die, 2-point conversion was less a gamble than a philosophical declaration.

Del Rio had no interest in a conservative point-after kick, and let his offense know it well before the decision had to be made. So when Derek Carr hit Seth Roberts for a 10-yard touchdown to cut New Orleans lead to a single point with 47 seconds left, kicker Sebastian Janikowski stood far from the action, helmet at his side, watching as Carr delivered a decisive fade pass to Michael Crabtree for a 35-34, season opening victory Sunday.

"Everyone knew about our strategy," said Del Rio, now in his second season with Oakland. "I didn't really ask for any feedback there. I said, `When we score here, we are going to go for 2 and win it right here.'"

His Raiders had already demonstrated considerable resolve just to get to that point.

Oakland had to overcome a 14-point, second-half deficit and a 424-yard, four-touchdown performance by Drew Brees.

"The belief and trust that coach has in us gives us so much confidence," Carr said.

Brees called the late 2-point try gutsy, but not surprising.

"You'll see that from time to time. You feel like you have the momentum, and let's dial it up and let's win the game," Brees said. "I could see us doing that."

FURIOUS FINISH: After the Raiders took their late lead, they still had to sweat out rookie kicker Wil Lutz's last-second field goal attempt from 61 yards, which narrowly missed wide left as the Superdome crowd briefly erupted before realizing the kick was no good.

"I thought it was good off my foot," Lutz said. "The ball moved on me."

Jalen Richard ran 75 yards for a touchdown on his first NFL carry and Amari Cooper caught Carr's pass for a 2-point conversion to briefly tie the game at 27 in the middle of the fourth quarter.

But Brees marched New Orleans for another score, highlighted by a 57-yard completion that receiver Willie Sneadfumbled and rookie wideout Michael Thomas recovered and advanced to the Oakland 2. That set up Travaris Cadet's short touchdown catch, giving New Orleans a 34-27 lead.

New Orleans nearly held on, but Saints linebacker Craig Robertson was flagged for interference on a fourth-down pass that sailed out of bounds.

"I'm not going to start the season off complaining about the officials. We have to play better," Saints coach Sean Payton said. "That was just one play."

BIG NUMBERS: Brees eclipsed 400 yards passing for the 14th time in his career, tying Peyton Manning for the most such performances in NFL history. Snead finished with nine catches for 172 yards, including fourth-down, 1-yard TD catch in the first half.

Carr finished with 319 yards and one touchdown passing against a Saints defense coached by his former Raiders head coach, Dennis Allen. The Raiders rushed for 167 yards, including touchdown runs of 6 yards by Latavius Murray and 2 yards by Jamize Olawale.

RECORD TD: Brees' touchdowns included a franchise-record 98-yarder to Brandin Cooks, who beat Sean Smith in single coverage and raced away from free safety Reggie Nelson. It was a career-long passing play for Brees as well.

"Brandin got a great release, I threw it up to him and he did the rest," Brees said. "He looked like Usain Bolt running down the sideline there."

Previously, Billy Joe Hobert and Eddie Kennison owned the Saints' longest scoring play - a 90-yard connection against Atlanta on Oct. 10, 1999. The Saints' previous longest play from scrimmage was as 96-yard passing play from Billy Kilmer to Walter Roberts on Nov. 19, 1967, the franchise's inaugural season.

COOPED UP: Cooper, familiar to fans in the Gulf South from his college days at Alabama, elicited cheers of, "Cooop!" from an audible contingent of Raiders fans in the Superdome with a couple receptions for long gains. He finished with six catches for 137 yards.

CAREER KICKOFF: Lutz made two of four field goal attempts - missing twice from 50 or more yards - in his NFL debut. Payton made the surprising move of cutting veteran incumbent kicker Kai Forbath in favor of Lutz this past week after the undrafted rookie out of Georgia State had been waived by Baltimore. Lutz hit his first field goal from 42 yards. He also handled kickoffs and hit a 20-yard field goal that was tipped.

"I like this guy a lot," Payton said of Lutz. "He's going to be kicking long after I am coaching here. He's really talented. There are obviously going to be some bumps along the way."

INJURIES: Raiders right tackle Menelik Watson left the game late in the first half with what team officials said was a groin pull. Saints starting cornerback Delvin Breaux left the game with an undisclosed lower left leg injury. He was replaced by undrafted rookie Ken Crawley, who was covering Crabtree on the decisive 2-point play.