It’s the time of the year where Las Vegas Raiders fans start to become divided. The Derek Carr supporters come out in force to defend their leader, and the Carr haters criticize his every word or move.
We’re at the midpoint of the season, and after a great start of 5-2, the Raiders suffered an East Coast letdown last week. It was a typical loss following a bye week, but more importantly, it was a loss to a sub .500 team. Making matters worse, it was a bad game for Carr, consistent with the recent second-half woes. With everything that has happened to this team over the last month, a letdown was understandable, but as Carr has said:
“Nobody cares, I still got a job to do.”
Carr has stated throughout all the drama and issues surrounding the team that now is not the time to care about feelings. When the season is over, he can think about it. Well, since those are his words, let’s look at some numbers. The Raiders have five wins, and, in those games, Carr has evoked the discussions of a contract extension, an MVP candidate, a top-five quarterback, etc. In the three losses, the same conversations take a 180 turn. They go from praise to trade scenarios, benching him, or simply cutting ties when the season concludes.
“I want to be a Raider for Life”
In more than one interview, Carr has stated that he does not want to play for any other team. He wants to be a Raider for life. In the five victories per ESPN, Carr has 1,867 yards passing, ten touchdowns, and three interceptions. In the three losses, Carr has 698 yards passing, three touchdowns, and four interceptions. The offense rides as smoothly as Carr does. This week, it is Chiefs week, and if Carr wants to make his biggest naysayers follow him and maybe join the bandwagon, he will need to beat the Chiefs and change the narrative surrounding the second-half season collapses that plagued Jon Gruden’s tenure.
“It’s Chiefs Week”
The matchup with the Chiefs is a big game for this season and could be one of the biggest games of Carr’s career. All eyes will be on him today, he needs to perform the best he can, and the Chiefs are a vulnerable team at the moment. Carr played well against their AFC West rival last season, going 1-1, nearly pulling out a second victory. In last year’s matchups, Carr had a 123.2 rating, six touchdowns, and two interceptions.
It was the best Carr had performed against the Chiefs in years, and with the defense of the Chiefs giving up 66.7 completion percentage and an average of 259.7 yards passing per game, they could be ripe for Carr to go off. The Raiders and their fans need Carr to perform to the best of his abilities, and this game will have eyes on him, but could a standout game change his timid big game narrative?
It’s game day #RaiderNation!
To say this is a big game would be putting it lightly, but let’s keep it simple… do the #Raiders bounce back?
— RaiderRamble.comâ„¢ (@TheRaiderRamble) November 14, 2021
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*Top Photo: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports