Oakland Raiders 2019 Week 17 review: 3 stars and 3 duds

1. Josh Mauro

There are a lot of unsung heroes in this league. Guys that come in, week after week, and do their job without much recognition. Josh Mauro is that type of guy for the Raiders. He was terrific against the run this year and helped the Raiders excel in that aspect of the game. However, on Sunday his name was called too many times for the wrong reason.

Somehow, Mauro found himself with two personal fouls on Sunday, totaling 30 yards in penalties by himself. Those miscues hurt, and like I mentioned, for the Silver and Black to be better in 2020 they need to cut those useless penalties out. Mauro may or may not be back with the club next season, but Sunday’s performance did not help him.

2. Daryl Worley

On Sunday Courtland Sutton and DaeSean Hamilton had their way with the Raiders secondary. On every down it seemed like they found themselves in yards of space. Part of the reason behind that was Worley’s inability to cover anyone. On multiple occasions Worley was burnt by his man. However, this should mean nothing as he is coming off of an injury and has been an important part of the secondary this season. He should, and hopefully, will be back next season.

3. Derek Carr

Oh boy, here come the Derek Carr stans. Let’s preface this with one thing, Carr is not the only reason the Raiders lost in this one. However, Carr’s performance did not inspire a ton of confidence in his ability to lead this team in the future. Don’t get me wrong, Carr is a terrific person and great leader in the locker room, but his play has not been that of someone who can lead this team to greatness.

On Sunday alone, when it counted the most, Carr missed multiple throws including one to Hunter Renfrow who would have had an easy touchdown in the first quarter. In addition, Carr once again spiked the ball without giving someone a chance on a play that saw him chased out of the pocket.

We can argue about whether he could have earned a first on that play with his feet, but something that is for certain, Carr did not do enough when the season was on the line. Is it enough to push the Raiders to make a change? Probably not. Is that what I am advocating for? Not necessarily. Only time will tell what the future for Carr is with the Silver and Black.