The Raiders have lost two straight games, but they remain optimistic that this is the season they can finally get into the playoffs.
Though the consecutive losses have dropped Oakland’s record to 4-5, the Raiders have reasons to be hopeful.
Perhaps the biggest is second-year quarterback Derek Carr, who’s proving to be as good a leader as he is a passer.
This week, coming off losses to the Steelers and Vikings, Carr told the media his team would work its way through the setbacks.
“We can play good football,” he said. “It’s not always going to be pretty. … It’s not always going to be flashy and big plays and all those things. Sometimes we’re going to have to grind them out. …
“There is not a lack of confidence from player to play, player to coach. None of that. That’s how I know we’re a good football team.”
Carr’s outspoken confidence is backed up by his actions. Carr ranks tied for third in the NFL in touchdown passes with 21, behind only Tom Brady and Carson Palmer, and he’s thrown just six interceptions. As Carlos Monarrez of the Detroit Free Press wrote this week in previewing the Raiders-Lions matchup, Carr gives the Raiders the young franchise quarterback every team dreams of getting. He is on pace to break the Raiders' single-season marks for TD passes and quarterback rating.
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Carr is “keeping the Raiders in the game even when they’ve lost,” wrote Monarrez.
In fact, many NFL observers believe Carr is the best young QB to come out of the past two drafts – above the likes of Marcus Mariotta, Blake Bortles, Jameis Winston and Teddy Bridgewater.
This week Carr was picked by three of six NFL Network evaluators to be the league’s best “young QB to build a franchise around.”
Wrote former NFL scout Daniel Jeremiah: “He has elite arm talent, but I’ve been even more impressed with his decision making and poise.”
Added Lance Zierlein: “Carr faced a good deal of adversity last season with limited weapons inside that offense, and he still played with poise and showed improvement as the season progressed. That is a sign of a mentally tough, confident player. He’s got the physical tools and has proven that he knows how to get the ball in the hands of the best receiver this year with Amari Cooper.”
This Sunday’s matchup against the Lions, too, appears to favor the Raiders’ passing game. Detroit, 2-7, ranks 23rd in the NFL in pass defense, allowing just over 260 yards per game. The Lions also have given up 16 TD passes while intercepting just four passes.
Carr, however, says he isn’t interested in any numbers but the number of victories the Raiders have. He says he tunes out both the applause and criticism that come with being a quarterback in the NFL.
“I just continue to stay the same person,” he said this week. “You’re never going to see me too high or too low in my attitude and how I go about my business day to day. I’ll just always stay levelheaded and keep working.”
