Panthers vs. Raiders: Score and Twitter Reaction from 2016 Regular Season

The Carolina Panthers' (4-7) slim playoff hopes suffered another setback Sunday after the reigning NFC champions lost 35-32 to the Oakland Raiders (9-2) in the Oakland Coliseum.

The Raiders, meanwhile, can celebrate their first winning season since they reached Super Bowl XXXVII in 2002.

The Bay Area News Group's Marcus Thompson found positives and negatives from the game for Oakland:

Derek Carr burnished his MVP resume in the win. He battled a finger injury on his right hand yet threw for 315 yards, two touchdowns and an interception on 26-of-38 passing. According to Elias Sports (via ESPN Stats & Info), Carr is the first Raiders QB to have at least five game-winning drives in the fourth quarter or overtime in one season.

Cam Newton overcame a shaky start to go 14-of-29 for 246 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. He also ran for six yards and a touchdown on three carries.

Football Outsiders' Cian Fahey provided a silver lining for the 2015 MVP in the defeat:

"

CAM NEWTON GOT A ROUGHING THE PASSER PENALTY.

— Cian Fahey (@Cianaf) November 27, 2016"

According to ESPN.com's David Newton, it was the first time since 2014 that the Panthers QB benefited from a roughing-the-passer penalty.

After the first half, it looked like Oakland would cruise to its fifth straight victory. The score was tied 7-7 following the opening quarter courtesy of Seth Roberts' two-yard touchdown reception and Newton's three-yard touchdown run. The Raiders then scored 17 unanswered points to go ahead 24-7 at halftime.

Latavius Murray put Oakland back into the lead with a four-yard touchdown run with 12:48 left in the quarter, and Sebastian Janikowski followed up with a 23-yard field goal at the 6:49 mark to make it a two-score game.

With 59 seconds remaining, an attempted screen pass to Fozzy Whittaker went horribly awry. Newton faked a throw to the right and turned to his left to hit Whittaker. His pass found the hands of Raiders linebacker Khalil Mack, who read the play perfectly and returned the interception nine yards for a touchdown.

The NFL shared a replay of the score:

Former Raiders star Charles Woodson wanted to make sure fans didn't miss Mack's pick-six:

ESPN Stats & Info provided a connection between Woodson and Mack:

Shortly after the second half began, Carr fumbled on the opening drive, and Thomas Davis recovered to give the Panthers the ball at the Raiders' 30-yard line.

Six plays later, Jonathan Stewart scored on a one-yard touchdown run. Graham Gano's extra-point attempt was blocked, leaving Carolina down 24-13 with 10:33 in the third quarter. Making matters worse, the MMQB's Albert Breer reported that Carr suffered a finger injury on the play and headed to the locker room for a short time. 

Carr returned to the game wearing a glove on his right hand. NFL.com's Kevin Patra posted a photo of Carr as he was warming up on the sideline:

By the time Carr came back, the Panthers had trimmed the deficit to five points. Ted Ginn Jr. got a step on Raiders cornerback TJ Carrie and caught a perfect pass from Newton over the top of the secondary for an 88-yard touchdown.

The NFL offered a second look at the play:

Max Henson of the Panthers' official website and CBS Sports' Jason La Canfora tweeted that the touchdown came out of nowhere:

With a three-yard touchdown run at the 1:46 mark of the third quarter, Stewart gave the Panthers their first lead of the game. Carolina's two-point conversion attempt failed, leaving the team up a point, 25-24, heading into the final quarter.

Kelvin Benjamin increased the Panthers' advantage with a 44-yard touchdown catch with 13:26 left in the game.

The Raiders answered back, though, with Carr's 12-yard touchdown pass to Clive Walford with 8:37 left on the clock. Raiders defensive end Mario Edwards Jr., who remains on injured reserve, tweeted his excitement:

Oakland tied the game after it successfully completed the two-point conversion.

NFL Network's Rich Eisen was enjoying the back-and-forth action:

After forcing the Panthers to punt, the Raiders went on a 12-play, 82-yard drive that ate 3:20 off the clock. Janikowski capped off the possession with a 23-yard field goal with 1:45 remaining to put his team up three points.

Carolina moved into Oakland territory on the ensuing drive but stalled at the Raiders' 44-yard line. Newton threw three straight incomplete passes, and on 4th-and-10, he fumbled after Mack sacked him. Mack recovered to seal the victory.

This game was a major test of the Raiders' mettle, and they did well to come back after throwing away the lead. Carr's injury could've been a turning point in the game, but Oakland battled back and proved once again that it's among the league's best teams.

The door hasn't completely shut on the Panthers getting back to the postseason to defend their conference title, but their margin for error is extremely small over the next five weeks. Carolina's schedule won't help.

A divisional-round rematch awaits the Panthers in Week 13, as they play the Seattle Seahawks. Matchups against the Washington Redskins and Atlanta Falcons are ahead as well, casting further doubt on whether Carolina can secure a wild-card spot.

Postgame Reaction

Panthers head coach Ron Rivera isn't ready to throw in the towel on Carolina's playoff chances.

"We'll just keep fighting, keep playing," he said, per ESPN.com's David Newton. "Now we still have an opportunity. We'll see what happens. There's no other reason for us to look any other way, but there's a glimmer of hope. That's all you need sometimes."

After the game, Carr described his finger injury as "some of the most pain I've ever felt in my life," according to CSNBayArea.com's Scott Bair. He added that he doesn't envision missing any time, though.

"It doesn't matter what happens. I'm going to practice," Carr said. "I'll play next game. I don't imagine anything will happen. It just sucks."

Michael Crabtree, meanwhile, is enjoying his life as a Raiders player.

"I wouldn't even lie to you," he said after catching eight passes for 110 yards, according to the San Jose Mercury News' Jimmy Durkin. "This is the most fun I've had. Just playing ball. You don't have to worry about nothing but playing ball. That's a blessing, and I'm thankful for that."