The Raiders have a 13-10 lead over the Colts at halftime and they’ll be lamenting the fact that they didn’t build a bigger margin during the first 30 minutes of play.
Carson Wentz was able to pilot a touchdown drive in the final 107 seconds of the half largely because Daniel Carlson’s kickoff to give them the ball went out of bounds. That put the ball on the 40 and Jonathan Taylor scored from a yard out after Wentz completed seven passes for 59 yards.
Wentz, who was officially cleared from the COVID list on Sunday morning, only completed one pass before that final drive, so he may finally be starting to feel back to himself heading into the second half.
The Raiders opened the game with a touchdown and forced a quick three-and-out, but Derek Carr threw an interception on the next drive. They forced another punt and Hunter Renfrow returned the ball to the 35-yard-line, but a negative run by Peyton Barber and a sack forced them to settle for a field goal. Carlson was called on again in the second quarter when a drive to the red zone stalled thanks to another sack.
Those misses and the kickoff miscue have helped make this closer than it probably should be. We’ll see if the Raiders can be sharper in the second half.