Las Vegas Raiders at Cleveland Browns: 3 things to watch in Week 15
Derek Carr:
The Raiders were horrific on both sides of the ball in the 48-9 thumping to the Chiefs, and of course, a lot of the misery is being placed upon the shoulders of the quarterback here in Derek Carr. However, he was not the worst of the bunch, and honestly not even close.
The troubling fumbles doomed this game almost imminently, and Carr had a rough time trying to overcome the rough start. Although he could have played better himself, and did himself no favors to make the game even respectable, the onus is always on the quarterback to lead a team to victory, and Carr surely was not able to even muster a chance in this one.
No one should point the finger solely at Carr, this game was a collection of turnovers, bad play-calling, and just plain being overmatched by a more talented team. The offensive line was on display in a bad way also, as Carr was pressured a staggering 20 times.
The Silver and Black are once again in contention to have another second-half collapse, which has become customary for this franchise. Although Carr was not the biggest issue here, he must perform better as his second-half looks like a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde act compared to his superb play from the first half of the season.
Keep an eye on Carr in this tough AFC matchup of playoff hopefuls. However, he performs will either be the key to the Raiders getting their season back on track or likely missing the postseason like everyone has become accustomed to with this franchise.