Raiders a Much-Improved Team in Rematch With Broncos

Development of Carr, Murray give Oakland a better chance to get a victory at Denver in final game of season

 It won’t be easy for the Raiders to end their season on an up note Sunday in Denver.

The Broncos beat them 41-17 in their first meeting this year and have won six in a row vs. Oakland. Plus, after losing to the Bengals last week, the Broncos no doubt want to get a victory to regain some momentum heading into the playoffs.

But since the teams met in Week 10, the Raiders are a different team, says quarterback Derek Carr. On Sunday, the Broncos will match up against an Oakland team that has beaten three teams with winning records over the past five weeks -- the Chiefs, the 49ers and Bills.

“This team is definitely different, definitely doing some new things and we’re definitely heading in the right direction,” he told the Denver media in a conference call this week.

One difference has been more solid play on defense, despite a rash of injuries. Another has been better balance on offense, with Latavius Murray now being productive after winning the running back job from Darren McFadden and Maurice Jones-Drew.

Carr, too, has grown to the point where it’s hard to consider him a rookie.

As the 3-12 Raiders prepare for their final game of this season, Carr has become quite dangerous to opponents, getting better reads on defenses.

With 15 starts this season, Carr is a much more polished quarterback than the one that threw two interceptions and had a low quarterback rating of 68.8 in the first game against Denver this season.

Carr has been particularly effective when teams don’t blitz. And when they do, he’s been able to avoid taking sacks, having been taken down just 25 times this season -- remarkable for a rookie starting every game and a testament to his quick release and ability to move in the pocket.

“I think the greatest (improvement) is his knowledge of protection, what he sees out there at the line of scrimmage and the way he can group protection and coverages together,” Raiders interim head coach Tony Sparano told the media this week.

Carr has set franchise rookie records for most passing yards (3,112) and TD passes (20) in a season. Another strong performance Sunday, and the Raiders will go into what promises to be a very active offseason on a strong note, giving Carr and Co. something to grow on.

This also is the last chance for Sparano to make his case to keep his job. NFL oddsmakers don’t see that happening, however. They’ve made the Raiders 14- to 14½-point underdogs.

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