LAS VEGAS -- A phone call, a friendship and a fist bump led to the Las Vegas Raiders' first home win in over a month and a chance to keep the season alive.
With just under 11 minutes left to play in the opening half and the Raiders trailing by 10, Derek Carr launched a 19-yard pass over the middle of the field to his former college teammate Davante Adams.
Carr immediately ran up to Adams for a fist bump and then patted his helmet. That connection dates back over 10 years to when the two played together at Fresno State.
"That's like my real brother almost," Adams said of Carr in the locker room following Sunday's 27-20 win over the visiting Los Angeles Chargers. "A lot of his plays come from big conversations that we had prior. ... That's probably why he's running up there because it's something that we had probably, multiple conversations about throughout the week and then perfect execution leads to a pretty good mood and a lot of happiness out there."
The drive ended five plays later with a 20-yard touchdown run by Josh Jacobs as the Raiders improved to 5-7 and clung to hope of a postseason berth.
Adams finished with eight receptions for 177 yards and two touchdowns, which included a 45-yard touchdown reception. The wide receiver now has four games with 100 or more receiving yards and two or more receiving touchdowns in 2022 -- his first season with the club. That's the most such games in a season in Raiders history.
That was all part of the plan almost a year ago when Carr called up Adams after the Raiders lost to the Bengals in the AFC Wild Card Round.
"I wouldn't be here if Derek wasn't here," Adams said. "He's a big, big reason why I ended up in the position I am. I don't know how it would have went with another quarterback in college. That's the type of stuff that builds great bonds and lifelong bonds. That's one of my best friends."
Having Adams as a weapon for the Raiders is opening the door for Jacobs, as well. Jacobs finished Sunday's game with 144 rushing yards and the aforementioned touchdown.
"You see what he's doing for me," Jacobs said. "The dude is just special, once-in-a-generation type of player. He makes crazy catches look easy and he does it at a high level and consistently."
It hasn't been a smooth ride for Adams since joining the Raiders.
The team started 0-3 and struggled to close out games down the stretch. Three weeks ago, the Raiders lost to the Colts team that was playing its first game under interim head coach Jeff Saturday. After that game, Carr was emotional in his postgame press conference, lamenting the losing and a lack of effort. That was a turning point for this team.
"Sometimes people need to hear certain things that they don't want to hear and take a look in the mirror," Adams said. "It's kind of the whole to whom it may apply to. I think guys are pretty good on this team of taking a look in the mirror and coming back and fixing things. As you see, this is the result."
After Sunday's game, Adams now is in the midst of his third-straight 1,000-yard season, and the Raiders have won three straight.
Las Vegas will look to keep the momentum going on a short week as it prepares to take on the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium on Thursday.
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