EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Xavier McKinney returned an interception 41 yards for a touchdown early in the second half and picked off another errant throw by Derek Carr late as the New York Giants added to the Raiders’ post-bye woes with a 23-16 victory over Las Vegas on Sunday.
Daniel Jones threw a 30-yard touchdown pass to Evan Engram and Graham Gano added three field goals — the last after McKinney’s second pick — for New York (3-6). Filling in for the injured Saquon Barkley, former Raider Devontae Booker ran for 99 yards before leaving late with a hip injury.
Carr threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to Hunter Renfrow for the Raiders (5-3), who are an NFL-worst 3-16 after a week off over the last 19 years. The usually accurate quarterback also missed a wide-open Darren Waller for another score just before halftime as the Raiders settled for three short field goals by Daniel Carlson, who also missed a 25-yarder in the second half.
Carr, who was 30 of 46 for 296 yards, drove Las Vegas to the Giants 13 in the final minutes. On second-and-10, he was strip-sacked by Quincy Roche and Leonard Williams recovered the loose ball to ice the game.
The game was the first for Las Vegas since receiver Henry Ruggs III slammed his car into another vehicle early Tuesday morning, creating an inferno that killed a woman and her dog. The 22-year-old player was released by the team hours later.
Prosecutors say Ruggs was driving at 156 mph and had a blood-alcohol content twice Nevada’s legal limit. He faces felony charges that carry a potential decades-long prison sentence.
The loss was also the first for interim coach Rich Bisaccia, who last month replaced Jon Gruden, who resigned after it was revealed that he wrote homophobic and misogynistic emails between 2011 and 2018.
McKinney’s go-ahead score came on the third play of the second half with the Raiders facing a third-and-7 at their own 35. Renfrow ran an out pattern in front of the Las Vegas bench and McKinney undercut the route, caught the ball as the receiver fell and had a clear field to the end zone. The safety had missed practice this week while in the COVID-19 protocol but was cleared to play on Friday.
The Raiders took a 13-10 halftime lead in a game in which each team scored a touchdown on its opening possession. Jones hit Engram to cap a seven-play, 75 yard drive to start the game and Carr and Renfrow combined from 2 yards out to cap a 73-yard Raiders march.
Carlson of Las Vegas sandwiched field goals of 25 and 32 yards around a 35-yarder by Gano for the other scoring. The 32-yard field goal came one play after Carr missed Waller alone at the back of the end zone.
INJURIES
Raiders: CB Keisean Nixon and LB Nick Kwiatkoski left the game with ankle injuries.
Giants: TE Kaden Smith was evaluated for a concussion in the first half.
UP NEXT
Raiders: Return home to face the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday night.
Giants: After a bye, travel to Tampa Bay for a Monday night game on Nov. 22.
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