Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr proved to be elite on Sunday night, as the team proved they belong in the AFC playoff picture.
The Las Vegas Raiders fell to their divisional rival in a 35-31 loss at home against the Kansas City Chiefs. Despite the loss, Derek Carr remains the leader of this team and an elite quarterback for the Raiders.
Playing in a division with the Chiefs is no easy feat when you’re looking to get into the playoffs. By far, Patrick Mahomes is the best quarterback in the league right now, and the Chiefs offense is close to being the best ever with the recent addition of Le’Veon Bell from the New York Jets.
In the first four minutes of the game on Sunday night, these two teams traded two touchdowns, making it 14-14 with one great heads-up play from Derek Carr.
Carr recognized the man-to-man coverage on speedster Nelson Agholor with time expiring on the play clock. He quickly got the ball in the air and threw a dime in the endzone resulting in a touchdown.
He also found Darren Waller seven times for 88 yards and one of those in the endzone,utilizing one of his better playmakers to the fullest on Sunday night. Unlike last season when the Raiders simply got Waller in space, this season, head coach Jon Gruden has focused on spreading the ball around, and last night, Carr threw to 11 different receivers.
In October, the Raiders made a statement with their win at Arrowhead stadium. Don’t just take my word for it. Even Chiefs fans acknowledged Derek Carr as elite. Two days ago, our editor, Brad Weiss, expressed his opinion that Carr needs to be in the MVP talk with players like Aaron Rodgers, Patrick Mahomes, and last year’s MVP, Lamar Jackson.
Carr is on pace to throw less than five interceptions on the season and 24 touchdowns, making it one of the best seasons for a quarterback since Tom Brady threw three picks with 28 touchdowns in 2015.