How Hunter Renfrow delivered Raiders to being one win away from playoffs

By Case Keefer (contact)

Monday, Jan. 3, 2022 | 2 a.m.

Hunter Renfrow rolled the ball out of his right hand like a pair of dice, a gesture that wound up ironic given what the catch that led to the celebration Sunday afternoon in Indianapolis ultimately signified.

The play, initially called a touchdown before replay ruled Renfrow down after a 24-yard catch, led to a 23-20 Raiders victory over the Colts and eliminated all chance and uncertainty from Las Vegas’ playoff positioning. The ensuing game-winning 33-yard field goal from Daniel Carlson that Renfrow’s reception set up means all the Raiders must do is beat the Chargers next week at Allegiant Stadium to prolong their season.

“We put ourselves in good position to win next week and go into the playoffs,” Renfrow said. “That’s what we all talked about from the beginning — just give us a chance to dance.”

Las Vegas has received major contributions all over the roster during a three-game win streak to unexpectedly revive its season, but there’s arguably been no one more valuable than “the Slot Machine.” That’s the nickname that’s been thrust upon Renfrow, the diminutive third-year veteran who’s repeatedly stepped up and filled a void in the Raiders’ receiving corps.

Las Vegas quarterback Derek Carr needed a new go-to option after tight end Darren Waller went down with an injury in the first half of a Week 12 win over Dallas, and he’s found it in Renfrow. Having already joined Tim Brown and Jerry Rice as the only Raiders’ receivers to ever catch 90 passes in a season in a win last week against Denver, Renfrow joined more exclusive company with his seven-catch, 76-yard performance against the Colts.

He’s now a catch away from becoming the third Raider with 100 receptions on the year and nine grabs from breaking Waller’s single-season record from a year ago. Renfrow also crossed the 1,000-yard milestone, becoming the 17^th receiver in the NFL to do so this season.

“I’ve never really gauged myself off yards or catches or anything like that, but I’m not going to lie you, that did seem kind of out of the realm of possibilities coming in as a rookie,” Renfrow said. “I never had 600 yards in college so I just wanted to go out there and be the best receiver I can be and give us the best chance to win.”

Sunday was one of his finest examples of that, as the aforementioned final catch would have been his second touchdown on the day. He came through on a similarly “off-schedule play,” as Carr describes them, early in the fourth quarter to give Las Vegas a 20-17 lead.

The Colts flushed Carr out of the pocket on a fourth-and-2 play from the 11-yard line, and he scrambled right to find Renfrow improvising and cutting through the end zone.

“He makes big plays in big situations, and he’s done it his whole career,” interim coach Rich Bisaccia said of Renfrow. “He did it at Clemson and now he’s doing it in the National Football League. I can’t say enough about the chemistry between him and Derek and his ability to understand the field, get himself in open positions regardless of if we’re creating or it’s on time.”

Carr had to “create” a lot against the Colts as the home team’s defensive backs lived up to their reputation for tight coverage. That included Renfrow’s catch at the end of the game, which may stand as the Raiders’ biggest play of the year.

It was 3^rd-and-10 from the 48-yard line with the game tied at 20-20 and 52 seconds remaining. The Raiders’ offensive line played much better for the second straight week but right tackle Brandon Parker was overmatched by a stunt from All-Pro linebacker Darius Leonard on the play.

Parker fell over, forcing Carr to have to sidestep Leonard and look downfield in a split-second with more pressure incoming.

“I saw Hunter and he stayed with me just like he did on the touchdown,” Carr recalled.

The pass wasn’t perfect but Colts Pro Bowl cornerback Kenny Moore misjudged it and cheated up for a possible interception, giving Renfrow room to leap up and grab the ball. Renfrow slid down at the 24-yard line, but having neither felt any contact nor seeming to have been touched, climbed back up and sprinted into the end zone.

The celebration commenced for everyone except the field goal unit, which started to assemble for the point-after attempt.

“I thought Hunter was in for the touchdown, but it actually probably worked out better,” Carlson said.

The video review revealed Moore slid a couple fingers on Renfrow’s cleat to overturn the call, which allowed the Raiders to run down the clock and trot Carlson out for his fourth game-winning field goal of the season.

“A 33-yard field goal, the same PAT I thought I was about to kick,” Carlson noted.

The field goal also gave Carr the 29^th game-winning drive of his career, tied with Tom Brady for the most in the NFL since his rookie season in 2015. But this one wasn’t Carr’s usual standard of stepping up in the pocket to “shred” defenses, a setup he admits he typically prefers.

He had to find open space to throw, and the decisive play to Renfrow wasn’t the only example. The two-minute drive’s second-biggest gain came on a 14-yard pass to Zay Jones — who led the team with eight catches for a career-high 120 yards — where Carr was also on the run.

Bisaccia said it was part of the game plan for Carr to be aggressive and use his athleticism. Carr cited watching top-tier peers like the Packers’ Aaron Rodgers and the Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes as an influence.

“Those are the plays that are not drawn up,” Carr said. “It’s just your receiver staying alive and helping you out and making plays on the ball. For me, I’ve watched (Rodgers and Mahomes). You try to take things from everybody and learn from them.”

Despite Carr’s late heroics, it wasn’t his best day. He efficiently completed 24 of 31 passes for 255 yards, but also threw a pair of interceptions.

A gutsy performance from the Raiders’ defense kept the Colts from scoring any points off of either takeaway. Las Vegas’ entire starting linebacking corps missed practice all week with COVID-19, and at least in the case of Pro Bowl middle linebacker Denzel Perryman, it wasn’t the asymptomatic variety.

Perryman said he was shaking and sick for two straight days at the start of the week before improving enough to play under the NFL’s revised pandemic protocols.

“It was more of a mental week for me,” he said. “As far as cardio and endurance, I came out a couple times today because I really couldn’t breathe. You’ve just got to adjust, and I feel like that was my biggest thing.”

Adjusting is something Renfrow has done better than anyone on the roster this season. He came into the season known as the slot receiver whom the Raiders relied upon when they needed a third-down conversion.

He still lines up on the inside and the game-changing play against the Colts was appropriately on third-down, but he’s become so much more than “Third-and-Renfrow.” He’s become the focal point of the offense during a three-game win streak that has the Raiders on the verge of the playoffs.

“Every game for the last month has been a playoff game for us and I don’t think anything changes this week,” Carr said. “We’ve got to move on. We have a really good team that beat us the last time we played them so hopefully we can flip that this time.”

Case Keefer can be reached at 702-948-2790 or [email protected]. Follow Case on Twitter at twitter.com/casekeefer.Case Keefer can be reached at 702-948-2790 or