LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The long wait for Las Vegas was worth it.
A year after christening Allegiant Stadium with no fans, the Las Vegas Raiders won a nail-biter in overtime 33-27 as Las Vegans and all Silver and Black faithful were finally able to watch a regular-season game inside the 65,000 seat stadium.
In a game that saw endless twists-and-turns, including turnovers for both teams during the overtime session and a game-tying field goal with 2 seconds left in the game, it was Derek Carr heaved a 27-yard pass to a wide-open Zay Jones who strolled the remaining four yards for the game-winning touchdown.
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It was the end of a roller-coaster of emotions for everybody in the building and those watching from home. Earlier in the OT session, the Raiders thought they had won it when Carr hit Bryan Edwards for a 33-yard pass that was celebrated as a touchdown. However, upon review, Edwards' knee was down just a few feet away from the end zone.
Two plays and one penalty later, it was all doom-and-gloom as Carr threw a pass into the endzone that was deflected twice before it was intercepted.
In the ensuing series, the Ravens went from highs to lows as quarterback Lamar Jackson was sacked and fumbled to set up the winning drive for the Raiders.
WHO'S NEXT? 2021 Las Vegas Raiders schedule
Baltimore started the game hot, storming to a 14-0 lead by the middle of the second quarter before Las Vegas trimmed the lead to 14-10 at the half.
In the second half, the Raiders came back to tie it twice before the Ravens thought they had done enough when kicker Justin Tucker hit a 47-yard field goal to take a three-point lead with 37 seconds remaining in the game.
An inspired Carr led the Raiders down the field with passes of 20- and 18-yards to set up kicker Daniel Carlson to hit a 55-yard field goal with just two seconds remaining to send the game to overtime.
Las Vegas only has a short respite before heading on the road to face the Pittsburgh Steelers next Sunday at 10 a.m. PT.
Relive all the scoring action from the game below and also see the buildup to the game below.
IT'S OVER - RAIDERS WIN!
DEREK CARR THROWS IT ON ONE FOOT TO ZAY JONES WHO WALKS IT INTO THE END ZONE.
Raiders win 33-27
RAVENS FUMBLE IT! - 8:52 p.m.
You cannot write a script like this. Lamar Jackson gets sacked, loses the football and the Raiders get another chance in this OT session!
4:31 left in the overtime session and the Raiders have it on the Ravens 27 yard line.
RAVENS INTERCEPT IT! -- 8:45 p.m.
So close yet so far! Derek Carr's pass on 3rd and goal gets deflected twice and then is intercepted by the Ravens! Anthony Everett with the INT for the Ravens.
Baltimore has the ball. Whoever scores next wins.
SO CLOSE!!!! -- 8:40 p.m.
Derek Carr to Bryan Edwards for the Touchdown ... but it's under review and will likely get called JUST SHORT. Should set up for a 1st and goal within inches of the end zone.
RAIDERS WILL GET THE BALL IN OVERTIME -- 8:33 p.m.
Here we go - 10 minutes in overtime to decide this. Raiders won the coin toss and will get the ball to start the extra session.
Reminder: During the regular season, if neither team scores in this session of OT, the game would finish in a tie.
OVERTIME - 8:31 p.m.
We are headed to overtime in the first regular-season game at Allegiant with fans in the stands.
RAIDERS TIE IT WITH: 02 SECONDS LEFT!!! -- 8:30 p.m.
The Raiders' Daniel Carlson just hit a 55-yard field goal to tie the game with just 2 seconds left! 27-27
FIELD GOAL RAVENS -- 8:26 p.m.
A 47-yard field goal by Justin Tucker makes it 27-24 Ravens with just 37 seconds left at Allegiant Stadium.
TOUCHDOWN LAS VEGAS!!!! -- 8:13 p.m.
Derek Carr to Darren Waller ... a quick spin move and it's a touchdown! We have a tie ballgame again here on the Las Vegas Strip!
That was a 75-yard, 10 play drive capped by the Waller touchdown ... and there are under four minutes remaining. 24-24!
For those of you keeping track, the over/under at most sportsbooks around town closed at 50.5 and the Ravens were favored by either 3 or 3.5 points depending on where you went.
TOUCHDOWN RAVENS -- 8:04 p.m.
Latavius Murray takes it to the house from 8 yards away to give the Ravens a touchdown lead late in the 4th quarter.
Murray gets the glory but the play before the touchdown really set up the score. Lamar Jackson threw a deep bomb to Sammy Watkins that eventually led to a 49-yard gain that took the momentum away from the hometown Raiders and swung the pendulum.
TOUCHDOWN RAIDERS! -- 7:53 p.m.
Josh Jacobs up the middle for the score! It's a tie ballgame at Allegiant Stadium 17-17 with 9:18 left!
A Lamar Jackson fumble in the prior series set up the Raiders to tie the game. Five plays later, including Jacobs' 15-yard run and we've got a brand new ballgame.
END OF THE 3RD QUARTER -- 7:38 p.m.
15 minutes left to play. Ravens 17-10 Raiders.
RAVENS UP LEAD TO 7 -- 7:20 p.m.
Baltimore adds a field goal to their score, but they'll rue their missed opportunity. They had great field position after pinning the Raiders to their goal line on the prior drive then got a 27-yard Lamar Jackson scramble to get them even closer, but missed passes lead to them settling for the field goal.
17-10 Ravens, with just over 8 minutes remaining.
SECOND HALF UNDERWAY - 7:00 p.m.
Ravens get the ball to start the half.
RAVENS LEAD 14-10 AT HALFTIME
Raiders mounting a comeback at half ... a late field goal gets them to within four of the Ravens heading into the locker rooms.
TOUCHDOWN RAIDERS 6:25 P.M.
Josh Jacobs scores the Raiders' first touchdown of the season.
Ravens 14 - Raiders 7
TOUCHDOWN @Raiders. Josh Jacobs scores the team first touchdown of the season. #RaiderNation pic.twitter.com/VeMEwugbGC
— KTNV 13 Action News (@KTNV) September 14, 2021
TOUCHDOWN RAVENS - 6:12 p.m.
Lamar Jackson scrambles around before throwing a 10-yard dart into the end zone to Justin Tucker.
Ravens 14 - 0 Raiders, 8:52 left in the first half.
END OF 1ST QUARTER - 5:57 p.m.
Ravens lead after 15 minutes of action 7-0.
TOUCHDOWN BAD GUYS - 5:49 p.m.
After unsuccessful drives by both teams, the Ravens get on the board first to make it 7-0 Ravens.
Baltimore went for it on 4th and 1 as rookie Ty'Son Williams rushed it up the gut and broke through the secondary for the 35-yard score with 1:48 left in the 1st quarter.
KICKOFF! - 5:15 p.m.
The wait is over - Ravens vs Raiders is underway! Raiders got the ball to start the game.
FANS TAILGATING AHEAD OF KICKOFF AT ALLEGIANT STADIUM - 4:30 p.m.
BEER GARDEN OUTSIDE LUXOR - 4:30 P.M.
COVID VACCINES ARE AVAILABLE AT ALLEGIANT STADIUM
Community Ambulance representatives at Allegiant Stadium say they expect about 5,000 people to visit their vaccination tent on Monday.
ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL? More than 3,000 people came through for alternate screenings or their first doses of the COVID vaccine over the weekend. Community Ambulance, an organizing group, says it expects upward of another 5,000 today. @KTNV @Raiders @AllegiantStadm pic.twitter.com/f5uJpp46Wu
— John Domol (@JohnnyDomol) September 13, 2021
STAGE SET FOR RAIDERS OPENING 2021 SEASON ON MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL
Allegiant Stadium is looking very Silver and Black ahead of Monday's game against the Baltimore Ravens.
Stage is set. All eyes on Las Vegas for the first #MNF game of the #NFL season against the @Ravens and @Raiders. pic.twitter.com/Aj56HEJGJC
— Tina Nguyen (@ttinanguyen) September 13, 2021
ALLEGIANT STADIUM ELEVATING LAS VEGAS
Las Vegas is the Entertainment Capital of the World and with the addition of Allegiant Stadium, things are changing in town about a new era that is being ushered in Sin City.
RAIDERS MOVED; A'S REMAIN POSSIBILITY FOR VEGAS (1:30 p.m. PT)
Another Bay Area sports team is exploring a move to Southern Nevada.
Four and a half years ago, the NFL approved the Raiders move from Oakland to Las Vegas. Now, it’s the Athletics who have an interest in moving to the desert.
So, why is Las Vegas the preferred destination for Oakland teams? ROSS DIMATTEI HAS THE FULL STORY
FOR YOUR LISTENING PLEASURE (Noon PT)
Tonight's game at Allegiant Stadium will feature a soundtrack by a Las Vegas veteran.
David Perrico and the Raiders House Band are ready to take over Allegiant Stadium for the Raiders first home game.
"I think it's great for, for all live entertainment, and for all the hard work hard working musicians in this town," Perrico said. "Not just musicians, all the sound and lighting, everything that goes into shows in bands, whether they're playing loud lounges, it doesn't matter what size they are. It's just great for live music."
Kalyna Astrinos has more with Perrico
RAIDERS' WALLER TALKS AHEAD OF BIG GAME (11 a.m. PT)
Before he steps on the field for the 2021 regular season opener, Raiders' tight end Darren Waller spoke to Tina Nguyen on a variety of topics. Watch the full interview and read select quotes below:
Waller: I anticipate the atmosphere to be like something I've never seen before. I'm expecting one of the most memorable nights we've probably ever had play football.
Waller: We're just a lot of guys that have continued to improve their games talent. We play as a more simple brand of football. That's just fun. Allows us to go out there and just to be free. We've had the experience and the pain of losing those close games, but it's taught us lessons that are very valuable in return and we're ready to approach those situations the same and come up with a win this time.
HOW TO GET TO ALLEGIANT STADIUM
Got one of the golden tickets to tonight's big game? You'll want to plan ahead because not only do you have some homework to do to show you have your COVID-19 vaccine, but traffic is sure to be an issue as 60,000+ of your friends will all be heading towards the Las Vegas Strip all at the same time.
John Domol has all the information you need about the CLEAR app which helps with the verification process, and a second option if you don't want to use the app (but it may take a bit of time): FULL STORY
Traffic guru Zora Asberry has a few cheat codes for you to avoid all the traffic headaches on game day: FULL STORY
Jason Dinant has more on the vaccine verification process and offers some tips on how to Raider like a local:
If you don't mind a little bit of a walk, there are a few more options for parking around The Strip
THE HEAT IS ON IN VEGAS
Heading to Allegiant Stadium for the big Monday Night Football Ravens vs Raiders game? You better stay hydrated because it's going to be a hot one.
13 Action News meteorologist Bree Guy has the latest forecast for game day:
3 THINGS TO WATCH IN TONIGHT'S GAME
Here is what KTNV sport reporter Tina Nguyen will be watching in tonight's game
1. What will this Gus Bradley defense look like?
2. Can the Raiders score in the red zone?
3. Will this revamped offensive line be better than last year?
AFC WEST PERFECT SO FAR
With tonight's game being the last of the weekend, Las Vegas already knows it must win to keep pace with their rivals.
The AFC West is 3-0 so far with the Kansas City Chiefs (33-29 win over Cleveland Browns at home), Denver Broncos (27-13 win over New York Giants on road) and Los Angeles Chargers (20-16 win over Washington Football Team on the road) all claiming victories on Sunday.
