Which Young Raiders Continue to Take Strides Forward

"Yeah, Kyu [Blu Kelly] -- he's got a real knack for getting the football now. He's got great hands. He has great timing and confidence in making plays, and that was a fantastic play, but he and [Jeremy] Chinn made passing it off down on the goal line down there to turn that that drive away,” Carroll said. 

“But Darien [Porter] played really well also, and so those guys are doing okay. Early in the year, Kyu -- they got after him a little bit. They got some shots at him, and he just had to bounce back from that and play his way through it, which he's done. So, we rotate those guys too, because they both deserve to play."

Kelly has been tested often this season, as opposing teams clearly believe he is the weakest link in the defensive backfield. Kelly is undoubtedly talented, but young with little playing experience. He has done well considering those things, and ha continued to show progress on a weekly basis.

His growth was once again on display when he intercepted Justin Herbert near the endzone on Sunday. His interception kept the game within reach for a struggling Raiders offense and led to the Raiders being tied with the Chargers going into halftime.

"That was excellent football right there because they tried to rub it off, and those guys both felt it coming and played off it just exactly like you hope. If they had thrown it to Jeremy's [Chinn] guy, he'd have made a play. And so, fortunately, it's not just the chance you're in the right position, but you can convert the play and make it a turnover that was huge,” Carroll said. 

“So, I thought the next drive that we had on defense was really stellar because the crazy interception that they get on the tipped ball, and our guys came right back and stopped them on fourth down and just showed how the mentality of this group, it's worth fighting for. It's worth fighting to put them in winning situations so they can make the plays. And so, it's a good group."