KANSAS CITY, Mo. -– Raiders edge rusher Khalil Mack entered Week 17 as the NFL leader in sacks. Then the Houston Texans played the Jacksonville Jaguars, and J.J. Watt went off.
The reigning Defensive Player of the Year and sack king had three in that game. Watt’s total jumped to 17.5 sacks, two-and-a-half above Mack’s lofty total heading into the Raiders' season finale against Kansas City.
Nobody told No. 52, who was in the dark until after the game.
“He got three?” Mack said. “Wooo! Man. I didn’t know he had three. That’s great for him.”
[BAIR: Raiders offense 'really sputtered' down home stretch]
Not as great for Mack who wanted to finished the season with the most sacks. He was stuck on 15, without a quarterback takedown in the final two weeks. That stretch includes Sunday’s 23-17 loss to the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium.
He was disappointed in that and the fact that he fell one sack short of tying the franchise record, but it didn’t ruin his day. The loss did that.
“It comes to a point where you’re more disappointed about not getting the win,” Mack said. “That’s what you play this game for.”
Carr’s ailing hand: Raiders quarterback Derek Carr injured his throwing hand in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s loss, and had it examined on the sideline. He didn’t miss a snap, though, after some warm-up throws convinced trainers that he could re-enter the fray.
He came back in and led the Raiders to a touchdown, but couldn’t complete a comeback win.
Carr said he hit his throwing hand on a helmet or a defender, which caused some pain but no real damage. He had an x-ray on his hand, and while he wouldn’t say it was clean, Carr wasn’t troubled by the ailment.
“We’re good,” he said.
Amerson’s pick six: Carr threw an interception in the end zone in the first half, but cornerback David Amerson more than made up for the mistake. He jumped an Alex Smith pass and returned the interception 24 yards for a touchdown.
He put his team in a bind with a taunting penalty, and immediately apologized to head coach Jack Del Rio for the indiscretion.
It was the second pick-six of Amerson’s career, which has really taken off since the Raiders claimed him off waivers in Week 3. He has become a fixture in the starting lineup, with clutch interceptions as a Raider and more than 25 passes defensed.
“I really like playing for this team, and I am so grateful for the opportunity they have given me,” Amerson said. “I hope I have a home here for years to come.”
Murray misses AFC rush title: Raiders running back Latavius Murray needed just 36 yards to finish the season as the AFC’s leading rusher. He only got 31. That left Chris Ivory in the top spot after a game where the Raiders couldn’t get the run game going.
“That wasn’t an issue for me, and it’s definitely not something I thought much about,” Murray said. “The concern is overall production and scoring points. We didn’t do enough of that today.”
This and that: Carr fell just short of 4,000 passing yards on the season. … The Raiders will select No. 14 in next year’s NFL draft. … The Raiders finished the season 7-9, their second-best record since the 2003 season. …They were swept by the Kansas City Chiefs, but finished 3-3 within the AFC West. … Left tackle Donald Penn started his 140th straight game, a streak dating back to the 2007 season.
