Raiders ‘deflated' after Cooper's touchdown called back

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OAKLAND – Raiders quarterback Derek Carr was under duress, and left trying to make something out of nothing. He found a window of opportunity and took it, throwing a fastball to Amari Cooper near the left sideline.

Cooper did what Cooper often does, breaking away from the competition for a 51-yard touchdown. Fans went nuts, praising Cooper’s athleticism that tied the game with seven minutes remaining.

Or so they thought.

A flag nullified that effort, as Cooper was called for illegal touching and punished with a loss of a down. Atlanta defensive back Desmond Trufant pushed Cooper out of bounds, meaning he couldn’t be the first person to touch the ball after coming back on the field of play.

By rule, Cooper could be active in that play if he was pushed legally. Illegal contact was no longer a factor once Carr left the pocket, meaning Trufant’s smart move took Cooper out of the play.

“They teach you that, if the receiver is by the sideline, push him out of bounds because he can’t be the first one to touch the ball anymore,” Trufant said. “So I pushed him out and I knew he couldn’t be the first one to touch it. So, that was just a heads up by me because I knew the quarterback was scrambling, so the goal was to get him out of bounds.”

Cooper said he wasn’t clear on that rule. In college a player can return after going out of bounds and make a play.

Most Raiders were shocked and disappointed in the result, which killed positive momentum late in the game. The Raiders went for it on fourth down, but Jalen Richard couldn’t convert from 2 yards away.

“You have to expect things like that in the game of football,” Cooper said. “Things aren’t always going to go the way that you plan for them to go.”

The Raiders went down two touchdowns after that, and while they scratched back to within one score, weren’t able to tie the game again.

Cooper’s non-touchdown made sails go slack at an inopportune time.

“It was big man. It was a long drive, we needed someone to make a play, and that is what Amari did,” Raiders tight end Clive Walford said. “We saw that flag and everyone was kind of deflated.”

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