The Oakland Raiders entered Week 9 with a 3-4 record. They needed a win against the 3-3-1 Detroit Lions to get their season headed back in the right direction.
After scoring a touchdown to take the lead with 2:04 left in the game, Oakland needed their defense to make a stand. That's exactly what they did.
The Lions drove down the field and found themselves on the one-yard line with three seconds left. On fourth down, quarterback Matt Stafford attempted a pass to tight end Logan Thomas.
Oakland safety Karl Joseph was there to make the play and break up the pass though. With three seconds left on the clock, the Raiders were able to just run one play and get the victory. After the game, he spoke about the play.
Karl Joseph said he knew that Logan Thomas "had some inches on me. But when the ball was in the air, I said I am going to get higher than him and he is not going to catch it."
And, by the way, the pressure on Stafford came from … Clelin Ferrell.— Vic Tafur (@VicTafur) November 4, 2019
Joseph is one of the better safeties in the NFL. He has all the tools to be one of the best, but sometimes things don't seem to go his way. However, on the final defensive play of the game he proved how good he can be.
The Raiders also moved to 4-4 on the year with the victory. While that may not seem like much, getting back to .500 is pretty significant. There is still more than enough time in the season for them to try and make a playoff push.
This is especially true when looking at the rest of their schedule. The Raiders still have four games against their AFC West opponents. They also have games against the hapless Cincinnati Bengals and New York Jets remaining as well.
Oakland needed this win to get back on track and try to make a push late in the season. They did just that, with Joseph making the big play in the biggest moment.
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