Originally published by RaidersNewswire.com
After a hard-fought battle with the division-rival Los Angeles Chargers, the Las Vegas Raiders are officially playoff-bound. The Silver and Black will face the Cincinnati Bengals next weekend in what will undoubtedly be a challenging showdown on the road against a talented young team led by Joe Burrow.
Following the win over the Chargers, Carr channeled his idol in the late Kobe Bryant. The Raiders star idolized the Los Angeles Lakers legend growing up and is using one of his famous quotes to motivate him heading into the NFL playoffs as an underdog.
“Like my favorite player Kobe said, ‘Job is not done.’ It does feel good, it’s exciting, but I don’t set out to just make the playoffs, although it’s been since 2016 and I didn’t even get to play,” Carr said after clinching a playoff spot. “It feels cool. It’s awesome, but you know our goals. This is one of them, but there is more after that, too. We’re excited, and we got to play a team that already beat us. It’s going to be tough.”
The Raiders would’ve been underdogs regardless of their opponent in the playoffs. It was going to be another division rival in the form of the Kansas City Chiefs had yesterday’s game against the Chargers ended in a tie, but as a result of Daniel Carlson’s last-second field goal in overtime, the Bengals will be in their crosshairs this week.
Earlier in the season, the Bengals got the best of the Raiders. Cincinnati beat Las Vegas with relative ease during the team’s most challenging stretch of the season, but now Carr and company will have a shot at redemption while also being given a chance to continue defying the odds.
The post Raiders News: Derek Carr Channels Kobe Bryant Heading Into Playoffs appeared first on Raiders Newswire.