In October, the Raiders and quarterback Derek Carr had a big day in a 37-29 victory over the Chargers in San Diego.
In that game, Carr threw for 289 yards and three touchdowns without an interception, with five of those completions going to rookie wideout Amari Cooper for 133 yards and a TD. The Raiders also won the turnover war, 2-0.
Now the Raiders, 6-8 and trying to win their final two games to get to .500, host the Chargers Thursday night on Christmas Eve (5:25 p.m. kickoff) with a chance to sweep the series vs. the 4-10 Chargers for the first time since 2010.
If the Raiders are going to be successful they’re going to have to take care of the ball the way they did in the first game.
In recent games, Carr has had an interception problem. In this past Sunday’s 30-20 loss to the Packers, Carr threw two early interceptions that resulted in 14 points for Green Bay, the difference in the game. Two weeks before that, Carr threw three picks in a 34-20 loss to the Chiefs.
This season, when Carr has been accurate, the Raiders have won. In six Raiders victories, Carr has thrown one interception. In the eight losses, he’s thrown 10.
This week, Raiders offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave said he’s made it clear to Carr how important it is to take care of the football.
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“Well we definitely make our coaching points,” said Musgrave. “We put him through a number of drills. Experience is the best teacher, that’s for sure. I think it’s part of the process. It’s not a fun part of the process, but he has to just keep working through it like he is. Really proud of him for battling back the other day and getting us the lead there in the second half.”
It will be the last game in Oakland for retiring Raiders safety Charles Woodson, who announced that he will retire at the end of this season.
It’s possible that the Raiders will allow Woodson to do something special in his final game at home. Might he play wide receiver? Or return punts or kickoffs?
“That’s been in discussions ever since we started this season,” said Musgrave. “We may have something up our sleeve. It might be the right time to do it.”
Oddsmakers have made the Raiders 5½ to 6-point favorites.
