For rookie starting quarterbacks in the NFL, the 16-game schedule is a crash course in survival.
Some games, they thrive. In others, they crash and burn.
On Sunday, it was Raiders quarterback Derek Carr’s turn to crash.
Carr had a rough outing in a 41-17 loss to the Broncos in which the Raiders fell to 0-9 and lost their 15th straight game dating to 2013.
He was intercepted twice and, though he completed 30 of 47 throws, his yards-per-attempt average was an awful 4.1.
Plus, he committed a classic mistake that will be part of his rookie lore, dumping off a short, illegal pass to offensive lineman Khalif Barnes while trying to avoid a sack.
It may not be as memorable as Hall of Famer John Elway setting up behind a Broncos guard instead of the center in his rookie season, but it certainly was glaring.
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“I just saw out of the corner of my eye, this guy standing by himself, facing me, and so I obviously assumed in my head that it was D-Mac (Darren McFadden,” Carr told reporters. “So I turned to go throw it and in my head as soon as I threw it, I was like, ‘Please knock it down.’ That’s just one of those things. It’s happened to me in high school, it’s happened in college. It’s just one of those things, you know where your guy’s at, you react. Everything is happening so fast.”
Raiders head coach Tony Sparano, who’s let Carr take more chances and play a more wide-open game since Dennis Allen was fired after the first four games, has been very complimentary of Carr this season.
But on Sunday, he called Carr’s game one that can be just thrown out and chalked up as a learning experience. And he liked the fact Carr ended the game on a positive note, throwing a touchdown pass to tight end Mychal Rivera.
“I’m sure Derek’s going to come in and he’ll watch the tape and he’ll get a chance to evaluate it and see where we are from there,” said Sparano. “It certainly doesn’t hurt his progress. He ends the game in a positive way, but it’s another loss in a game where, quite honestly, we didn’t play well in the second half.”
After nine games, Carr ranks 28th in the NFL in passer rating, at 78.3 – just ahead of two other highly drafted rookies, Teddy Bridgewater (74.9) and Blake Bortles (72.2).
Carr will get a chance to redeem himself this Sunday in San Diego vs. the Chargers.
