Oakland Raiders Film Review: Derek Carr’s touchdowns and interceptions

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - SEPTEMBER 29: Derek Carr #4 and head coach Jon Gruden of the Oakland Raiders talk during warm ups before the game against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium on September 29, 2019 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - SEPTEMBER 29: Derek Carr #4 and head coach Jon Gruden of the Oakland Raiders talk during warm ups before the game against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium on September 29, 2019 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images) /
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OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 09: Derek Carr #4 of the Oakland Raiders passes the ball in the second quarter against the Denver Broncos at RingCentral Coliseum on September 09, 2019 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 09: Derek Carr #4 of the Oakland Raiders passes the ball in the second quarter against the Denver Broncos at RingCentral Coliseum on September 09, 2019 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images) /

Week 1 vs Denver Broncos

So far, the season opener is Carr’s best game of the 2019 season, as he completed 84.6 percent of his passes for 256 yards and one touchdown. Running back Josh Jacobs played the role of touchdown vulture with two goal line scores, so there is only one play to work off for the premise behind this article.

However, the lone toss highlights a handful of Carr’s strengths that were on display against Denver.

The shift by Darren Waller and Foster Moreau forces the Broncos best cornerback, Chris Harris to widen out and essentially removes the defender from the play. Also the defense reacts to the shift by moving safety, Will Parks (34) into slot coverage indicating Park is in man coverage with Tyrell Williams (16).

However, Parks ends up playing underneath coverage and Simmons (31) is the man-to-man defender on the slot receiver.

Carr isn’t fooled by Vic Fangio’s defense and Ryan Grant‘s route takes Parks attention off Williams, giving the quarterback a window to throw into. The ball placement by the signal caller is perfect; outside so Simmons can’t get to it and thrown hard enough so the underneath defenders don’t have a chance to get a hand on the ball.

While it was subtle, the veteran also does a nice job stepping into his throw while simultaneously avoiding some pressure from Bradley Chubb (55).

One could argue that this pass is one of Carr’s best this season because it shows off his intelligence, arm strength and accuracy.