OAKLAND -- Two years ago, there would have been no doubt the Oakland Raiders, led by the Comeback Kid Derek Carr and a closer on defense in Khalil Mack, would have won this type of game.

After all, Carr authored seven comeback wins in 2016, when Oakland went 12-4.

But having blown halftime leads in starting out 0-3 in 2018, seeing Mack on a different team after being traded and facing an eight-point deficit with 88 seconds remaining in regulation and 53 yards of real estate in front of them with no timeouts left, yeah, doubt had crept into the Raiders' minds.

“I mean, this is a completely new team, right?” said Raiders receiver Amari Cooper. “The previous three games, we were really up, so we thought we would win.

“Now we know, whether we’re down in a game by 14, or whatever it is late in the game, we have that confidence we can overcome it because of what we did today.”

Just, exactly, how did the Raiders pull out a wild 45-42 overtime victory against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, when hordes of fans left in the fourth quarter and were scrambling, imploring security, to no avail, to let them back in the Oakland Coliseum as the Raiders embarked upon the comeback win?

“But they can’t cancel the game just because they boo us, we’ve still got a game to finish,” said tight end Jared Cook.

Said Carr: “The people that stayed got a fun show.”

And it all started with a play that was reversed by the officials, Carlos Hyde’s seeming game-sealing run on third and 2 with 1:41 to go in regulation being pushed back to a 1-yard gain by the replay official and the Browns punting from their own 18-yard line, leading 42-34.

“Whatever we do, we’re going to fight,” Carr said in the huddle. “However this thing turns out, whether I throw three more picks or we go win this this game, I promise you I’m going to fight.”

After a 14-yard punt return, Carr hit Jordy Nelson for a 5-yard gain, then he found Jalen Richard for a 4-yard pickup before missing Nelson deep. But a defensive holding penalty on Briean Boddy-Calhoun gave Oakland a first down at Cleveland’s 39-yard line.

Carr then hit Cook for a 19-yard gain to the 20-yard line and Carr spiked the ball. Forty-two seconds remained when Richard was called for a false start, moving the ball back 5 yards, and then Richard made up for his gaffe with a nifty 18-yard pickup on a catch and run out of bounds at the 7-yard line.

On the next play, Carr hit Cook for his second TD of the game. There were 34 seconds to play and the Raiders needed the two-point conversion for the tie.

Nelson, on a fade to the left corner, beat former Raiders defensive back TJ Carrie for the conversion.

“There was a concept on the front,” Nelson said. “Obviously, Derek makes that read and gave me a ball that I could catch. I bobbled it a little bit and was able to bring it down and then stand up.”

And even then, the Browns moved the ball to midfield and, with 14 seconds to go, Baker Mayfield launched a deep ball to Antonio Callaway. It was picked off by free safety Reggie Nelson.

It was the second interception of the day for Oakland -- Gareon Conley had a 36-yard pick-six in the first quarter off a ball tipped by Marcus Gilchrist -- and the fourth takeaway, as defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins recovered a pair of fumbles.

The Raiders won the coin toss to start overtime and drove to the Browns’ 28-yard line before Carr was sacked for a 4-yard loss. Rookie kicker Matt McCrane, signed this week after a hip injury to Mike Nugent, hooked his 50-yard field goal attempt from the baseball infield dirt wide left.

Oakland’s defense, though, forced a three-and-out, though there was a scary moment for the Raiders when flags came flying after a hit by Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie on David Njoku on a 5-yard catch at the Browns’ 45-yard line.

“I was nervous,” Rodgers-Cromartie said. “At that time, overtime, they were in good field position. They would have been in field-goal range (with a 15-yard penalty). I would have felt pretty bad about that.”

The refs picked up the flag. No unnecessarry roughness. And after a punt two snaps later, the Raiders started at their own 19-yard line.

After an incompletion, Carr hit Marshawn Lynch for a 7-yard pickup, then he hit Cook for a 24-yard gain to midfield.

After a Lynch run, Seth Roberts caught a pass for a 9-yard pickup, and on third and 1, Carr called his own number for a 2-yard gain, just his second QB sneak since his rookie season of 2014.

Cooper then caught a 14-yard pass before Lynch, who delivered an impassioned speech to the offensive line in the first half, rumbled for 11 and then 1 and then 2 more yards.

And on third and 7 from the Cleveland 11-yard line, and on the grass, with 1:50 left in OT, McCrane lined up.

“Third-string kicker, backup [long-]snapper,” Gruden said. “I’ve never been so nervous on a 29-yard field goal in my life.”

McCrane was true and Gruden had his first win since Nov. 30, 2008, when he was with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, his first win with the Raiders since Oakland beat the New York Jets in a playoff game on Jan. 12, 2002.

And by the sense in the locker room, the manner in which the Raiders, who trailed by scores of 17-7, 28-14 and 42-34, won might be a springboard going forward to next week’s game at the Los Angeles Chargers.

At least, it should.

Offensively, the Raiders had a 400-yard passer (Carr, 437 yards), two 100-yard receivers (Cooper, 129; and Cook, 110) and a 100-yard rusher (Lynch, 130, his most since 2014 for the Seattle Seahawks) in the same game for the first time since 1964.

Defensively, the Raiders got pressure on a mobile quarterback, with two sacks and four QB hits.

“Yeah, we’re out of our misery,” said defensive end Bruce Irvin, who had his second sack of the season. “It was tough these past few weeks but, you know, we got it, and we just got to keep stacking them up.”