Las Vegas Raiders 2020 Week 14 review: Studs and Duds

Las Vegas Raiders 2020 Week 14 review: Studs and Duds

Studs: Derek Carr

Another week where Derek Carr plays well but is let down by his defense and his receivers. Carr finished the day with 316 yards and 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions that could hardly be described as his fault. Carr was feeling it early in the game as he marched the Raiders down the field for two touchdown drives in the first half and was on his way to a third before the first interception happened.

Carr should have done better on the deep pass to Darren Waller in the end zone and against a normal DB the ball would have fallen incomplete, but Indy CB Kenny Moore made one of the plays of the year with an incredible one-handed pick. The Raiders couldn’t punch it into the endzone after that drive but kept pace with the Colts thanks to Carr making big plays.

Then disaster struck in back to back drives as Hunter Renfrow fumbled in the open field and Jalen Richard let a pass deflect off his hands and into the arms of a Colts defender for a pick-six. In the span of 5 offensive plays the Raiders went from down 14 and still in the game to down 24 and completely out of it.

This was Carr’s third interception of the season where the ball deflected off his intended receiver’s hands straight to an opponent. He did not play a perfect game by any stretch but when you have a defense that can’t stop anyone, every mistake is magnified 10 times and there is very little margin for error.

The Raiders are in danger of missing the playoffs for the fourth straight year and they will do so with an offense and QB in the top 10 in most statistical categories but none of that matters because the defense can’t stop a nosebleed. Carr deserves better than this and he needs performances like the one he had today to mean something.