For all intents and purposes, the Oakland Raiders' 2016 season ended prematurely on Christmas Eve — when Pro Bowl quarterback Derek Carr fractured his right fibula after being sacked during the fourth quarter against the Indianapolis Colts.
In their two remaining contests, at Denver with the AFC West title at stake in the regular-season finale and the following week at Houston in their first playoff game in 14 seasons, the Carr-less Raiders did not resemble the resilient team that went 12-3 the first 16 weeks.
In their two biggest games of the season, the Raiders were no match for the Broncos and Texans, struggling on offense and defense and losing by a combined 51-20 score.
Instead of a deep run into the NFL playoffs, these Raiders were left to ponder how their fortunes may have been different with a healthy Carr, who played at an MVP level until his season-ending injury.
Here's a capsule review of Oakland's 2016 season:
The Raiders' 12 victories equal the most wins by the team since the 2000 season when Oakland also had a 12-4 record. The franchise record for most wins in a season is 13 when the Raiders went 13-1 in the 1976 regular season before winning three postseason games en route to the franchise's first Super Bowl title.
Despite having three turnovers in the season finale at Denver on Jan. 1, Oakland finished the 2016 season with a franchise-best 14 giveaways, bettering the previous record of 19 turnovers set in 2002.
With 12 rushing touchdowns, Latavius Murray is the first Raider to have 10 or more rushing TDs since Marcus Allen had 12 in 1990.
The Raiders finished the 2016 regular season leading the league in penalties and penalty yards. They had 147 accepted penalties forf 1,247 yards. The club record for most penalties in a season is 163 and most penalty yards is 1,358, both set in 2011. Oakland set an NFL record with 23 penalties for 200 yards during a 30-26 overtime win at Tampa Bay on Oct.l
The Raiders went 3-0 in the Eastern time zone after going 1-17 the previous 18 games in the ETZ.
5: Game-winning TD passes by Derek Carr in the fourth quarter or overtime, an NFL record
5-2: Oakland's win-loss record at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, equaling the team's best home showing since 2010.
6: Raiders road victories, equaling a franchise record for most road wins in a season.
7: Comeback victories by the Raiders in the fourth quarter or overtime.
25: Oakland sacks, the fewest sacks by any team in the NFL. The Raiders do not have a sack in their final three games, including a playoff loss at Houston in the wild card round on Jan. 7.
26: Sacks by Khalil Mack the last two seasons, the only player in the NFL with at least 25 sacks the past two seasons.
QB Derek Carr after the Raiders rallied
to defeat the Buffalo Bills 38-24 on Dec. 4
"I can't even describe my words man. It feels so special. I waited a long time for that."
K Sebastian Janikowski after Oakland clinched
a playoff berth with a win at San Diego on Dec. 18
"Seeing him go down like that, it hurt us. It didn't even feel like we won."
Raiders LB Bruce Irvin on Derek Carr
suffering a fractured fibula on Dec. 24
"I tell guys all the time: You get what you earn in this league. And we didn't do enough to earn a win tonight."
Raiders coach Jack Del Rio after
a 24-6 loss at Denver on Jan. 1
"It was his first start, on the road, in a playoff game, against the No. 1-ranked defense. It was a tough draw for him. We had hopes that we would be able to do enough around him so he wouldn't have to do as much."
Raiders coach Jack Del Rio on QB Connor Cook's
play during a 27-14 playoff loss to Houston on Jan. 7
The Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum turned 50 years old when the Raiders hosted the Atlanta Falcons on Sept. 18, a 35-28 Oakland loss. The venue' first event was on Sept. 18, 1966 when the Raiders lost 32-10 to the Kansas City Chiefs.
