Oakland Raiders' Khalil Mack savors first career TR

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Khalil Mack said he was waiting three seasons to leap into the "Black Hole" at the Oakland Coliseum and celebrate a touchdown.

The Raiders defensive end finally got his chance Sunday late in the second quarter of Oakland's 35-32 victory against the Carolina Panthers.

Mack intercepted Panthers quarterback Cam Newton's screen pass and returned 6 yards for a touchdown. It was Mack's first career interception and first career touchdown.

On second-and-6 from the Panthers 13-yard line, Newton faked a pass to the left flat, reverse pivoted and tried to hit running back Fozzy Whittaker in the right flat.

Mack wasn't fooled.

"Instincts and seeing, knowing the things that were going to happen based on the film the you watched," Mack said. "Instincts and getting my hands up and getting ready to catch."

Then he raced to the stands behind the south end zone leaped into the crowd.

"They looked like they were ready for the impact," Mack said. "I had to make sure I could make it up there."

Mack ended the game with a strip-sack of Newton and recovered the fumble. He became the first Raider since safety Charles Woodson in 2009 to have a sack, an interception, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and a touchdown in a game.

"That's great company right there," Mack said. "C-Wood, that's big bro. We talk all the time. He tells me, 'It's time for you to take over games.' Fortunately, I was in a position to do a little bit of that today."

--Panthers All-Pro middle linebacker Luke Kuechly was out due to a concussion, so backup linebacker A.J. Klein was forced into a starting role. Klein had five tackles and a sack, but he was also beaten by wide receiver Michael Crabtree on a 49-yard catch during the Raiders' winning drive.

"I was just running high," Klein said. "That was my responsibility, to run high. I knew the ball was in the air when I heard the crowd, and I turned too early. But just got a little feet tangled up, a little physicality at the top of the route and didn't get my head turned around in time. I tried to make a play on the ball, but that just goes down to technique. I have to be better."

Klein was flagged for pass interference, but Crabtree still made the catch.

--Crabtree was looking to bounce back Sunday after back-to-back subpar games. He had two catches for 27 yards in a victory against the Denver Broncos on Nov. 6 then three catches for 5 yards on Nov. 21 in a win against Houston in Mexico City.

"I feel like I've had a couple bad games," Crabtree said. "I wasn't going to let this game go by without making a few plays. I came out here with one thing on my mind."

Crabtree caught eight passes, matching his season high, for a season-high 110 yards, including his big 49-yard grab late in the fourth quarter.

"They ripped my helmet off," Crabtree said. "I thought there should have been a flag. They made it tough. By any means, man."

There was a flag on Klein for pass interference, but the Raiders declined it.