Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr continues to be a polarizing figure amongst fans, especially on social media. However, he was able to finally exorcise his demons and win at Arrowhead Stadium, silencing his critics. On the other hand, a win like this brings overpraising from both the media and fans.
It was not that long ago that fans were clamoring for a change at quarterback, whether it was via the NFL draft or free agency. Tom Brady, anyone? Back in the offseason, rumors circulated that the Raiders were shopping Carr in the NFL combine. Some of the fans who currently heap praise on Carr were the same ones who said free-agent pickup Marcus Mariota would take over as the starter. This tends to be the case for sports fans, they can be irrational, and at times, disturbing as well. Others use results as a means to “shock” readers and listeners with extreme takes on both ends of the spectrum.
I hate to break it to you Raider Nation but the truth lies somewhere in the middle, and there’s nothing wrong with that when you consider how low the team has gotten these past two years. It’s true we are starting to see the fruits of Jon Gruden and Mike Mayock’s work. On the other hand, let’s not forget that before Sunday, Andy Reid’s Chiefs had gotten the best of the Raiders. Despite what some “personalities’ will tell you, numbers do not lie and this is still not a rivalry. The Super Bowl champions are not going anywhere.Â
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Relax Raiders Fans, It Was One Win
I’m not saying Derek Carr alleviated all accurate criticism off his back yesterday, but if you’re not lightening up on him after yesterday’s game then you really just dislike him on a different level 😂 I know he shut me up, bro played elite ball and beat the Chiefs in KC.
— Kris Wysong (@KrisWysong) October 12, 2020
Our colleague, Kris Wysong of Black Hole Banter, said it best when he suggested we all lighten up on Carr after Sunday’s game. But not to the point where we forget Carr’s notorious inconsistency. For all the padded stats that have given Carr’s career a nice look, these haven’t translated into wins. Of course, by now we’ve heard all the excuses: rotating offensive coordinators, no weapons, unfair media treatment, etc. In spite of that, Carr rose to the occasion against the Chiefs, fumbles be damned. The question should be, can he maintain this level of play? Against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he will have to show he can muster of the same. They have one of the best run defenses at the moment, which means they’ll force Carr to beat them. Let’s see if ‘4’ can do it again before we declare him a messiah.Â
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*Top Photo: Charlie Riedel/Associated Press