Derek Carr has the weapons to break yet another Raiders record in 2020. This time it is Daryle Lamonica’s single-season touchdown mark.
Derek Carr is no stranger to breaking Raiders passing records, as he currently is the all-time leader in passing yards and completions. When it comes to touchdowns, he sits behind Ken Stabler (150) and Daryle Lamonica (148) for his career, though he should blow past both legends during the 2020 season.
Carr sits seven behind Stabler, so he is going to get that record, but it is Lamonica’s single-season record that he should have his sights set on. During the 1969 season, Lamonica threw for 34 touchdowns, leading the Raiders to a 12-1-1 record, and clinching a spot in the AFL Championship Game.
Back then, the regular season was only 14 games long, so Carr has an extra two games, and Lamonica threw at least one touchdown in every single game. His best game came against the Buffalo Bills in Week 6, when he threw for six touchdowns against one interception in a 50-21 victory inside the Coliseum.
Lamonica’s blistering pace set the Raiders record for most touchdowns in single-season through the air, and it is a mark that has still not been touched. Sure, Carr has come close before, but the record still stands.
51 years later, that record could fall, as Carr has all the pieces around him to make it happen.
Derek Carr has the weapons to break Daryle Lamonica’s Raiders TD record
Carr came close to breaking it in 2015
In his second season in the NFL, Carr began emerging as a legitimate franchise quarterback, leading the team to a seven-win season, which was a big jump from the 3-13 campaign from the prior year. The second-year signal caller threw for 32 touchdowns, still his career-high, and went on a run where he threw a touchdown in eight straight games.
During that season, Carr had six games where he had two touchdowns, three where he had three, and even had back-to-back four-touchdown games. That span came in Week 8 and 9, where he threw for eight touchdowns against only one interception.
Carr would go on to be named a Pro Bowler for the first time, and the stage was set for the team to make their first playoff appearance since 2003 a year later. The young quarterback played well above his age, and for a brief moment in time, across 2015 and 2016, Raider Nation was in agreement that they had their guy to lead them back to the Promised Land.
Carr threw for 28 touchdowns against six interceptions in 2016, leading the Raiders to a playoff berth, though he was unable to play due to a broken leg. He has not come close to that since, tossing 22, 19, and 21 across the last three seasons.
Derek Carr has the weapons to break Daryle Lamonica’s Raiders TD record
Carr has some outstanding weapons heading into 2020
Fast forward to the 2020 season, and Raider Nation is not in lockstep when it comes to Carr, but he is fresh off two solid statistical seasons since Jon Gruden returned as head coach. He has thrown for over 4,000 yards in back-to-back seasons after not doing so his entire career, and his touchdown to interception ratio is where you want it to be.
In addition, he completed better than 70 percent of his passes last season, finishing second to only New Orleans Saints star Drew Brees. Carr was able to accomplish this without a true WR1 atop the depth chart, something he will have in 2020, as well as the best collection of weapons to date in his seven-year career.
Tyrell Williams returns after a first campaign in the Silver and Black that showed he has that uncanny ability to rack up touchdowns. He caught a touchdown in each of his first four games with the Raiders before being injured, and then scored one in his return.
Henry Ruggs III was selected at No. 12 overall, and he will slide in as the team’s WR1 this season. During his time at Alabama, he was a touchdown machine, hauling in a score in one of every four catches he made.
Tight end Darren Waller had only three touchdowns last season, but that will change in 2020, as the Raiders have more weapons to take the pressure off of him in the red zone. In addition, 2020 draft pick Bryan Edwards, and 2019 draft pick Hunter Renfrow have the ability to make the tough catches, giving Carr more than enough options in the passing game.
Finally, Josh Jacobs should be 100 percent healed from his shoulder injury in 2020, and during his time at Alabama, he displayed his ability to be solid in the passing game. His backups, Lynn Bowden Jr. and Jalen Richard are both great pass-catching backs, so the possibilities are endless this season.
Of course, Carr will not only have to stay healthy in 2020, but also look to attack deep, something he has not done nearly often enough since Gruden’s arrival. Mayock and company went out and got him the weapons he needs to break this record, and if the Raiders want to have the kind of season that lands them in the playoffs, he may have to.