Raiders Riding A Hot Carr
Sep 20, 2021, 10:35 AM | Updated: 10:42 am
Shelley Lipton/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
I know that I didn’t see this one coming.
The Raiders found a way to win in week 1 against the Baltimore Ravens. Heading across county on a short week with some critical injuries against an aggressive attacking defense like Pittsburgh felt to me like it was going to be a long Sunday for the Raiders.
Instead, the Raiders played well, found a way to win, and deserved to beat Pittsburgh. Two games, two wins for Jon Gruden and company.
The silver and black were missing a couple of key offensive lineman and played without running back Josh Jacobs but this team right now has Derek Carr and that is making a HUGE difference.
Through two games Carr has passed for 817 yards, 4 touchdowns and 1 interception. His INT was the unfathomable one against Baltimore in Overtime on Monday night but besides that freak mistake he has been really good.
His 817 yards is more than 100 yards better than any other quarterback in the league after the first two weeks. The last time the Raiders made the playoffs Derek Carr played like an MVP. Two weeks in doesn’t make a season but it should give Raider Nation hope that they have got a very reliable guy under center.
There was a collective scare during the game when Carr had his leg rolled up on and he then was lying flat on the Pittsburgh turf. Carr got up and regrouped and put the finishing touches on a quality win. In the two wins Carr has outplayed both Lamar Jackson and Ben Roethlisberger. Put the quarterback battles aside, Carr has handled two very good aggressive defenses.
The Raiders and Carr need to keep it going to build on this start. Over the last couple of seasons this team has hit roadblocks and lost some head scratching games.
One of those games came last year when they self-destructed in a loss to the Miami Dolphins. This week on the schedule the Raiders get a shot at redemption as they host Miami in Las Vegas.
If Carr can stay hot like this, look out for the Raiders.
