Image copyright AFP Image caption Raiders wide receiver Amari Cooper leaped high into the air to catch a pass from rookie quarterback Jared Goff
A late penalty enabled the Oakland Raiders to win a thrilling NFL overtime game in Dallas against the Cowboys.
The Cowboys hit the posts when attempting a 54-yard field goal to secure victory, which kept alive their hopes of winning the NFC East.
But after the Raiders had gathered the kick, US TV commentator Cris Collinsworth had a brain explosion, wrongly awarding Dallas one extra point.
Before being told his mistake by a colleague, Collinsworth said: “They should have killed that field goal.”
The result meant Dallas had to settle for a shootout, with the Cowboys’ Prescott finally finding the target with a 41-yard field goal to put them ahead with five minutes left.
Their lead was short-lived, with two late touchdowns by Raiders quarterback Derek Carr restoring parity for Oakland.
Carr’s 46-yard strike to wide receiver Amari Cooper – who eluded one tackle to secure the decisive touchdown – put the Raiders in front, before his 27-yard toss to tight end Jared Cooks gave them a 31-30 lead with 28 seconds left in regulation time.
Fittingly, the Raiders’ win and Cowboys’ defeat came in a weekend of positives for the NFL, with the league’s Twitter account posting a picture of its Dallas office after a night out in the city.
A game that had attracted worldwide attention was often entertaining, with both teams boasting standout quarterbacks.
Cowboys second-year man Dak Prescott joined fellow American, and quarterback of the Washington Redskins, Alex Smith, on top of the league’s all-time passing yards lists in the third quarter, coming within 23 yards of the former Green Bay Packer’s mark for most yards in a season (4,955).
Prescott’s 192 yards for the game included eight completions to wide receiver Dez Bryant, who reached 150 receptions for the season.
“I just love it here,” Bryant told Fox. “It’s home for me.”
But Oakland’s Carr delivered another vintage performance against the Cowboys’ vaunted defence, throwing for 462 yards and three touchdowns, including two to Carr’s former teammate at Alabama, wide receiver Michael Crabtree.
The Raiders will be disappointed not to have secured a win that would have put them at the top of the division heading into their final game against the Kansas City Chiefs, while Dallas have lost just once in their last 13 games.