Las Vegas Raiders: Handing out the 2020 Third Quarter Awards
MVP – QB Derek Carr
Unless something dramatic happens over the last 4 games of the season, like Josh Jacobs averaging 200 yards a game, or Maxx Crosby recording ten sacks, quarterback Derek Carr might get a clean sweep of the quarterly MVP awards. Carr has been the driving force behind all of the Raiders’ wins this year, and made perhaps the biggest play of the season by evading the Jets’ blitz and finding Henry Ruggs for a 50-yard game-winner in Week 13.
Carr has to take some blame for the team’s awful performance against the Atlanta Falcons, but in the three other games this quarter, he was excellent. In the games against Denver, KC, and New York, Carr threw for 810 yards, six touchdowns, and two interceptions. His interception against KC was in the game’s desperate final drive, and the other against the Jets was a short pass that bounced directly off Henry Ruggs’ hands.
The veteran quarterback has not played perfect football by any stretch, especially when you account for his fumbles, but he has done well with a struggling offensive line and a run game that has averaged less than 70 yards over the last three games. The Denver game was the outlier this quarter, as they rushed for over 200 yards, but things have slowly deteriorated in that phase of the game.
Despite these struggles, the Raiders’ offense is still 11th in points and 15th in yards in the NFL and still has a chance to finish top-10 in the NFL in both categories, mostly thanks to Carr and his mastery of the scheme. Carr and the offense face two top-10 defenses over the next four weeks, including the second best Miami Dolphins, so he will need to be at his best to keep the Raiders’ playoff hopes alive.
Honorable Mention: Darren Waller