![](data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,<svg height="439" width="780" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" version="1.1"/>)
Perhaps it shouldn’t have come as much of a surprise to many but Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr has been really good this season. Right now, Carr is eighth in passing yards, sixth in passing touchdowns and third in passer rating. He’s also only thrown one interception.
There are probably many who still wouldn’t admit it but Carr is playing like an elite quarterback this season. He does have a number of troubling fumbles, but as a thrower of the football, there aren’t many quarterbacks having a better year. For whatever reason, there are a lot of people who doubt Carr. This past offseason, there were a ton of rumors that the Raiders were going to make a change at quarterback but none of them came true. That didn’t stop some in the media from suggesting that a change was still coming.
Hondo Carpenter of Sports Illustrated hasn’t covered the Raiders for long but he’s become one of Carr’s biggest defenders. He went on an epic rant against the people who doubt the quarterback during an appearance on Silver & Black Today.
This is one of the strongest defenses in favor of Carr yet. What’s most interesting about Carpenter’s rant is that he talked to people around the league who would love to have the quarterback on their team. Carr hasn’t always been perfect but he’s better than at least half of the other starters in the NFL. It’s looking like people are starting to realize that.
ALL the latest Las Vegas Raiders news straight to your inbox! Join the Heavy on Raiders newsletter here!
Is Carr Making a Case for MVP?
If the NFL season ended today, Carr probably isn’t in the top-five of the MVP race. However, he’s certainly starting to make a case. The Raiders are 3-2 and have had arguably the hardest schedule in the NFL to start the season. If he’s able to win at least one of the next two games versus good Buccaneers and Browns teams, that’s a pretty impressive start to the season.
After those games, the Raiders have one of the easiest schedules to finish up the season. Carr could feasibly start pumping his numbers up. It’s definitely possible that he finishes the season with well over 4,000 passing yards and 30 touchdowns. Those numbers en route to a playoff berth should at least put him in the MVP conversation. Now, Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson are both playing out of their minds right now so they’ll be really hard to beat. Regardless, Carr could prove once and for all that he is a franchise quarterback.
Raiders Are Serious Playoff Threats
With how brutal the Raiders’ schedule is to start the season, it’s actually pretty remarkable that they’ve won three of five games. In fact, every win has come against a team with a winning record right now. Not only are the Raiders winning but they’re winning against good teams.
The schedule only gets easier as the season goes on so it’s very possible that they finish with at least 10 wins. If they beat only the teams with losing records remaining on their schedule, they’d finish with 10 wins. Some may still doubt Las Vegas but this year offers them their best shot at the postseason in a while.
READ NEXT: Raiders Work out Intriguing Small School Rookie DB: Report