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As improbable as it seemed a month ago, the Las Vegas Raiders have won three straight games and are a win away from securing their first playoff berth since 2016. A big reason the team is still alive has been due to the play of Hunter Renfrow. The third-year wide receiver has been excellent for the team this season.
Against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 17, Renfrow caught seven catches for 76 yards and a touchdown, including a catch in the fourth quarter that set up Daniel Carlson for the game-winner. With his performance, he surpassed 1,000 receiving yards for the season, which is the first time he’s done that in the NFL or in college. Renfrow isn’t big on stats but even he couldn’t hide his excitement over hitting the milestone.
“I never really gauged my success off of yards or catches or anything like that. But I’m not going to lie to you, it did seem out of the realm of possibility coming in as a rookie,” Renfrow said after the win. “I never had 600 yards in college, so I just wanted to go out there and be the best receiver I could be and give ourselves a chance to win. … Hopefully we have a good game next week and keep it going.”
The Raiders haven’t had consistency at receiver this season and star tight end Darren Waller has been out with injury. The team needed somebody to step up and Renfrow has done that all season.
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Renfrow Details Big 4th Quarter Play
Things were looking grim for the Raiders at points against the Colts. They were down 17-13 heading into the fourth quarter and the momentum was definitely in Indianapolis’ favor. That’s when Renfrow decided to take over. He scored a touchdown on fourth down to give the Raiders the lead. When the Colts scored again to tie up the game, Renfrow made another big play. Quarterback Derek Carr dodged a couple of pass rushers and then dropped a dime to the wide receiver. After stumbling to the ground, he got up and ran for a touchdown. The referees eventually ruled that he was down by contact but the catch put the Raiders in field goal range.
Renfrow discussed the play after the game.
“Derek did a good job of extending the play,” Renfrow said. “I know a lot of people have been on him about that. So, it’s all about the first step. If you can see it right before the DB does and Derek can find you, then you have a good formula for success there. Derek did that, the O-line did a good job of extending the play and letting us extend it, and Derek found me. It was a good job by him.”
Down by a finger, but @renfrowhunter is just ridiculous.
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Renfrow Keeping Focus on Playoffs
While the Raiders should be happy that they beat a good Colts team and have their first winning season since 2016, there is still work to be done. A win over the Chargers next week would guarantee the team a spot in the playoffs. Renfrow is well aware of that and isn’t ready to celebrate anything yet.
“All it means that that we got to win next week,” Renfrow said. “We put ourselves in a good chance to win next week and we’re in the playoffs. That’s what we’ve all talked about since the beginning. Just give us a chance at the dance.”
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Raiders’ Hunter Renfrow Shares Strong Reaction to Major Milestone