Much talk was made of whether or not Derek Carr would be the Raiders franchise quarterback heading to Las Vegas, and he has silenced the doubters in 2019.
Heading into the 2019 NFL season, all the talk surrounding Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr was whether or not he would be the guy as the team makes their move to Las Vegas for the 2020 season. Carr, who was entering his sixth season as the Raiders starting quarterback, had never played in a playoff game, and his overall record as the starter was nothing to write home about.
However, in order to make a decision on Carr, you have to look past wins and losses, as he has been put in terrible situations throughout his entire time in the Silver and Black. He has been through numerous head coaches and offensive coordinators, and in fact, this is only the second time in his career that he has had the same OC for two straight seasons.
Through it all, Carr has been the unquestioned leader of the Raiders, and during Year No. 2 with head coach Jon Gruden, he is showing himself to be one of the better signal-callers in the league once again. Remember, back in 2016, the last time he had the same OC for a second straight season, Carr nearly won an MVP, and he is showing again what consistency with the playbook can do for him in 2019.
To date, Carr has not only been one of the more consistent quarterbacks in the NFL, but also one of the more accurate. He has one of the better completion percentages on third down this season, a crucial thought, and since Week 6 of the NFL season, he is the second-highest rated quarterback, only sitting behind Kirk Cousins of the Minnesota Vikings.
Another thing that has helped Carr is the fact that the Raiders invested so much in the offensive line, which has led to him being more comfortable in the pocket. After being sacked over 50 times last season, Carr has not been sacked since Week 4, as the Raiders offensive line has been elite all season long.
That has led Carr to taking more shots downfield, and after being called Captain Checkdown, he is shedding that label in 2019. In fact, Carr’s average pass has traveled 9.4 yards according to Josh Dubow over the past two weeks, which is good for tenth-best in the NFL.
The addition of star running back Josh Jacobs has also been crucial for Carr, as Jacobs is one of the best young backs in the NFL. Jacobs is the kind of running back who is going to pick up those tough yards on third-and-short, and that has really helped open up this offense in 2019.
This past week, Carr got WR1 Tyrell Williams back, and that helped him take more shots downfield. Statistically, Carr had his best game of the season, throwing for over 280 yards and three touchdowns, all without getting touched, and not throwing any interceptions.
The Detroit Lions head to Oakland fresh off a solid victory against the New York Giants, and you can be sure that passing yards are not going to be hard to come by in this one. For Carr, he has been a constant for the Raiders this season, and before all is said and done, he could be headed for not only his best statistical season, but his first start in a playoff game.