Cardiac Raiders in their comfort zone

OAKLAND, Calif. — When the Buffalo Bills took a 15-point lead midway through the third quarter, the game was right in the comfort zone for the Oakland Raiders.

Derek Carr led yet another comeback with two touchdown passes in the second half and Khalil Mack helped force two turnovers that rallied the Raiders to their biggest comeback in 16 years with a 38-24 victory over the Buffalo Bills yesterday.

The Raiders (10-2) scored the final 29 points to mount their sixth fourth-quarter comeback of the season and win their sixth straight game overall, remaining one game ahead of Kansas City in the AFC West.

“We don’t want to be in these positions where we’re playing from behind,” said running back Latavius Murray, who ran for two scores. “We want to dominate from start to finish.”

The Raiders fell behind 24-9 following touchdowns on the first two drives of the second half for Buffalo (6-6), before mounting the biggest comeback win since 2000.

Oakland scored touchdowns on three straight drives, including scoring strikes from Carr to Michael Crabtree and Amari Cooper for his 11th career fourthquarter comeback. With four games left this season, Carr already has matched the win total he posted in his first two years combined as Oakland’s playoff drought reached 13 seasons.

“It’s an exciting time in Oakland,” Carr said. “It’s definitely fun times. We’ve come a long way. . . . But we still have yet to do anything.”

The defense also tightened by forcing three straight three-and-outs and then getting a turnover when Mack deflected Tyrod Taylor’s pass that Nate Allen intercepted. Oakland took over at the 16 and put the game away with Murray’s second touchdown run of the game to make it 38-24 on Carr’s 2-point conversion pass to Seth Roberts.

The loss was crushing for the Bills, who entered December with hopes of ending the league’s longest playoff drought. A big day by LeSean McCoy, who had 130 yards rushing, helped stake Buffalo to the big lead, but it wasn’t enough.

The Bills are two games behind Denver for the second wild card spot in the AFC and could be headed to a 17th straight season without a playoff berth.