NEW ORLEANS, La. -- Donald Penn is a career left tackle. The veteran has manned that post over a decade-plus in the NFL, and is pretty darn good at it.

That’s where he started Sunday’s game against the New Orleans Saints, but not where he ended up.

The Raiders lost Menelik Watson and then Matt McCants went down in rapid succession. That put the Raiders in a bind.

Penn moved to right tackle, left guard Kelechi Osemele moved out to left tackle and guard Jon Feliciano joined the lineup in Osemele’s spot. The line made the most of an awkward situation and helped the Raiders eliminate a 14-point deficit and pull out a dramatic 35-34 victory at the Superdome.

“We shuffled things around a little bit, and I credit all five of those guys and (line coach) Mike Tice for patching it together and being able to survive,” head coach Jack Del Rio said. “They gave us a chance and ultimately led the way for a comeback. It was just a great effort.”

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Tice orchestrated the shuffle on the fly, and knew Osemele was sliding out to tackle. He just didn’t know where. Penn asked Osemele for his preference and selflessly took the other side.

“I’ve haven’t played right tackle in 15 years, since my freshman year in college,” Penn said. “I was horrible, and I was thankful we were calling plays that wouldn’t put me in a bad position over there.

“I’m not going to lie. I was a little worried playing over there. My feet were all jacked up. Try writing with the opposite hand. That’s what switching sides is like. It felt really weird, but I’m just happy we won.”

The offensive line was a major reason why that happened. Osemele was moving mountains at guard and tackle, Felicano filled in well and Penn deserves higher marks than he’s given himself.

It’s uncertain how long Watson and McCants will be out. The Raiders were in a bind to start with, considering Austin Howard was ruled out with an ankle injury and Vadal Alexander was inactive.

“Hopefully the injuries aren’t too serious, because I’m not about to play on the right again,” Penn said with a smile. … I was pleased that we stayed together and hung tough. It was just so great to get the win.”