The whispers grew louder as the losses mounted. Raiders rookie quarterback Derek Carr is regressing, some said, and it’s time to give the youngster a break.

Still others talked about the need to sit Carr so that he could avoid the spectre of having an 0-16 mark on his resume.

Yet, Carr never wavered in his desire to keep playing. On Thursday night, Carr’s late-game heroics helped the Raiders upset the Kansas City Chiefs 24-20 for their only victory of the season and first in more than a year.

“He’s going through a building process right now,” veteran defensive tackle Antonio Smith said. “This is one positive stone right now, one positive stone to let you know that the harder you work, the more you keep believing, the more you’re persevering, the good is coming. The good is coming.”

It finally manifested itself in a victory Thursday night, with Carr the driving force, the linchpin on a 17-play, 80-yard drive that used up almost half the fourth quarter.

“Amazing. Hopefully there’s many more to come,” Carr said, “because I like this feeling better than the other one, that’s for sure. I’m glad that this finally came. I’ll be able to enjoy it.”

The character-building drive started with 9 minutes, 3 seconds left in the fourth quarter, just after the Chiefs had completed a 17-point run and secured their first lead of the game.

Six plays in, Carr faced a third-and-one. Chiefs sack specialist Justin Houston forced Carr into a throwaway, which made it fourth-and-one.

Carr picked up the yard on a sneak up the middle. Two plays later, it was third-and-6. Carr found tight end Mychal Rivera for an 8-yard gain. Now it was evident that Carr was feeling it and not of the mind to settle for a game-tying field goal.

“He’s been out there carrying the team like he’s a 10-year veteran,” running back Darren McFadden said.

Yet, with the ball at the Chiefs 11-yard line, Carr faced another third-and-one. Again, he called his own number and plowed ahead for 2 yards and a first down.

On the next play, Carr connected with wide receiver James Jones on a post route for a go-ahead touchdown.

Center Stefen Wisniewski said he never sensed that Carr needed a mental break, or perhaps a game or two off to rebound from 10 straight losses.

“His attitude is phenomenal,” Wisniewski said. “Being in this situation, losing all these games, he’s had some ups and downs, which is normal for a rookie quarterback, but he’s stable.

“His attitude stays positive. He’s coming in every day with an attitude that he wants to work, get better and learn. He hasn’t let the losing get him down. He hasn’t let playing bad get him down. That’s the kind of guy you want to lead your team.”

The Raiders endured several scares on the Chiefs final drive before their defense closed out the victory. As Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith’s final pass sailed out of bounds, Carr raised both arms, with index fingers pointing to the sky.

Then, after running out the clock, he knelt on the turf and thanked a higher power.

After the game, Carr remained in uniform as he walked around the perimeter of the locker room and hugged or slapped hands with every player and coach in sight.

The rookie who had endured two handfuls of losses since he entered the NFL wasn’t about to let the moment pass without savoring every second and thanking everyone who played a role in making it happen.

“It’s definitely important,” Smith said of Carr being the quarterback when the Raiders finally won a game. “You got to learn how to take these wins and losses because that’s what builds your character as a man. If you don’t let the hard times build you up, build your character up, whenever hard times do come and you’re successful, you’ll fall and crumble quick.”

Carr shows no signs of caving under the pressure or seemingly endless string of losses. That’s part of why coach Tony Sparano has never considered pulling Carr off the field or turning to Matt McGloin or Matt Schaub for a game or two.

Smith said he and his teammates feed off Carr’s positive energy, which is abundant and always on display.

“He’s always determined to prove to us that he can get it done,” Smith said. “And he got it done (Thursday).”