Raiders quarterback Derek Carr had a solid rookie season in 2014, but he didn’t convince everyone that he had the makings of a star.
Some analysts looked at his body of work and said he didn’t throw downfield enough and didn’t stretch the defense. They pointed to his 5.5 yards per pass attempt as showing that he might not be the long-term answer for the Raiders.
In Game 2 of his second season on Sunday, however, Carr showed everyone around the NFL what he’s capable of doing.
Mark down Sept. 20, 2015, as the day Carr officially sent notice that he can be a big-time quarterback in the NFL.
Carr led the Raiders to a 37-33 victory over the Baltimore Ravens, completing 30-of-46 throws for 351 yards and three touchdowns. He threw one interception that looked as if it would cost Oakland the game, but then came right back to engineer an 80-yard drive that ended with his 12-yard touchdown pass to Seth Roberts.
For the day, he completed passes to 10 different receivers and averaged 7.6 yards per pass attempt.
Through two games, his quarterback rating of 94.9 is significantly higher than his rookie mark of 76.6.
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Even after throwing his late-game interception that appeared to have doomed Oakland’s chances, both he and his teammates believed he could make amends if he got one more opportunity.
“He’s the quarterback and we all have his back,” Oakland right tackle Austin Howard told the media after the game. “We knew he could lead us down the field when we needed it.”
Left guard Gabe Jackson said when Carr took over the huddle just before the game-winning drive, the quarterback told his teammates “we were going to go down and score.”
Said Jackson: “He has a winner and a warrior’s mentality. He always, no matter what, stays positive. He stays on the path. He tries to move forward and that’s what I love about him. He keeps his composure and stays calm.”
