Getty Derek Carr with Von Miller.
There was talk about Derek Carr being a possible dark horse MVP candidate heading into this season but that hasn’t been the case. The Las Vegas Raiders are 1-4 and the quarterback isn’t putting up great numbers. His 1,279 passing yards with eight touchdowns to four interceptions are solid but nowhere near what fans expected when the team traded for Davante Adams.
Carr has had some up-and-down years but he impressed many when he helped lead the Raiders to the playoffs last season. Though he hasn’t been having the best season yet, he still has the respect of some of the NFL’s best players. Buffalo Bills pass rusher Von Miller knows Carr well after playing in the same division as the quarterback for several years. Despite the Raiders’ recent loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, Miller had a lot of good things to say about Carr.
“I’m a huge Derek Carr fan, and everybody might not know that, but I am a huge Derek Carr fan,” Miller said on “The Voncast.” “I’ve gotten to know him throughout the years at the Pro Bowl, obviously, playing against him, and he’s just he’s such a great quarterback and he has so much talent and he’s really truly a good guy off the field you know some guys, you can’t really say that. … I know Derek Carr off the field. He is genuinely a good guy. You just want to see success for those guys.”
Will Carr Eventually Heat Up?
Carr hasn’t been bad outside of the Week 1 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers when he threw three of his four interceptions on the season. He compares favorably to the first of the league through five weeks. He’s 13th in pass yards, tied for ninth in passing touchdowns and 10th in QBR. Many believed he was a fringe top-10 quarterback heading into the season and his numbers certainly put him in that range.
However, there’s still room for improvement. Hunter Renfrow and Darren Waller have yet to get going this season with Davante Adams and Mack Hollins seeing the bulk of Carr’s targets. If the Raiders can get all of their best receivers going, Carr should see his numbers improve. At the end of the day, numbers aren’t too important. The Raiders just need to start winning. It won’t matter if Carr throws for 30 touchdowns and 5,000 yards if the team doesn’t sniff the playoffs.
Carr Reached Major Milestone in Week 5
Carr would’ve much rather had a win against the Chiefs in Week 5 but he did reach a major milestone. He became the first quarterback in Raiders history to throw for 200 touchdown passes on a first quarter pass to Adams. He didn’t even realize he was nearing that milestone.
“That’s crazy. I didn’t know that until you told me,” Carr said Monday. “I’d rather win. I’d rather have 200 wins and no touchdowns; I can promise you that. I’ve been doing it long enough that eventually, we’re going to get there. I’m happy about it and thankful. I’m always thankful. You’re never going to see me disregard that stuff, but I’d much rather just win than get that. There’s a lot of hard work that goes into it, so I’m thankful for it. To throw it to Davante [Adams] is special. That’s cool.”