Getty Oakland Raiders QB Derek Carr
It has been nothing but a struggle for the Oakland Raiders ever since their season-opening win.
While the 2019 season started off with a bang as the Raiders defeated the Denver Broncos 24-16 in Week 1 as Derek Carr had one of the most sensational performances of his career, it has been downhill since then.
Since Car lit up the Broncos to the tune of 22-of-26 passing (84.6 completion percentage), the Raiders have lost their last two games — including Week 3’s humbling 34-14 beatdown at the hands of the Minnesota Vikings.
It was yet another uneven performance for the 28-year-old Carr, who threw a costly interception along with an overthrow of tight end Darren Waller that killed a Raiders drive at the end of the first half that would have made the game a one-score one.
Jon Gruden Defends Derek Carr Amid Criticism
Following the game, head coach Jon Gruden had a simple explanation for Carr’s mistakes — he’s human when speaking with reporters after the game.
“I think he might have missed a throw or two. There’s no question. He’s a human being like everybody else. Again, I thought he made a great drive to make it 21-7 on a flea-flicker. We get the ball back, we’re going in for a touchdown or points, and we mishandle the ball on third down. That hurt us, certainly. And we’ve just got to play better. I’ve got to do a better job myself.”
The longtime head coach made sure to defend his franchise quarterback — although he did admit the three-time Pro Bowl quarterback felt the pressure on his interception throw.
“I think the interception, obviously, on a quick pass, something you rarely see from Derek … the pressure. You feel the pressure,” Gruden said. “But overall, I thought he did some good things. I’ve got to take a good look at it before I say anything else.”
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Raiders in a Scoring Drought
There is little doubt that the Raiders didn’t do anything to instill any sort of confidence following their Week 3 defeat. Oakland has scored just twice in their past 18 drives, dating back to the second quarter of their loss against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 2.
Despite racking up just 302 yards on 58 plays, averaging 4.4 yards per carry and 5.6 yards per pass, Carr still has optimism that the offense can fix things moving forward, as Scott Bair of NBC Sports revealed.
“We definitely moved the ball,” Carr said after the loss. “I’d say we didn’t finish drives, so that’s the point right there.”
“This is not the same feeling I’ve had in the past, where it’s hard to get a yard, you know what I mean?” Carr said. “Right now we feel very confident, but we just didn’t finish our drives in this game.”
Furthermore, the Raiders were just 3-of-11 on third-down conversions and never started beyond their own 25-yard-line. In other words, Carr is probably a little bit more optimistic than he should be considering Oakland didn’t barely lose this game — they were vastly outplayed by an opponent that isn’t elite by any means.
Considering the Raiders are in the midst of a 48-game road trip — they won’t have another home game until Nov. 3 — Oakland better right the ship soon before the season becomes completely lost.
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