The Las Vegas Raiders marched into Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis and kept their playoff dreams alive with a 23-20 victory over the Colts. The victory stands, but there are flaws that need to be corrected in order for the Silver and Black to keep their dreams alive.
On Sunday afternoon, quarterback Derek Carr indeed showed his ability to work under pressure, escape the pocket if need be, and find the open man to keep the drive going downfield. Carr orchestrated a stunning final drive that resulted in a game-winning field goal by Daniel Carlson. However, that isn’t the only thing Carr showed his fans and critics. Carr also showed one of his biggest flaws this season: his penchant for turning the ball over.
Carr threw for 225 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions with a completion rate of 77.4%.
Carr’s Turnovers
The two interceptions, picked off by Darius Leonard and Isaiah Rodgers, led to Carr’s career high total of 14 total picks this season. In the last four games this season (Chiefs, Browns, Broncos, Colts), Carr has turned the ball over nine times, five of which were interceptions, and the other four were fumbles. Luckily, in Sunday’s matchup against the Colts, the Raiders’ defense held strong after both interceptions and neither drive by Carson Wentz led to touchdowns. Regardless, the high turnover rate and poor offensive performances are enough to keep optimists up at night when assessing the Raiders’ playoff push.
On Carr’s first interception in Sunday’s bout with the Colts, he had DeSean Jackson in one-on-one coverage with Rodgers. Jackson had him beaten down the sideline. Carr also read the defense correctly, as the safety was not in a position to help, and if Jackson had caught the ball, it likely would have led to a touchdown. The ball was underthrown and the 50-50 ball led to Rodgers securing it instead of Jackson. The second interception, however, was an issue of Carr not reading the defense correctly and failing to see Leonard in position to make a play. Carr looked for Zay Jones in the middle of the field on 1st and 15 (down by 4), but Leonard abandoned his position, ready for Jones to get the ball on a comeback route. Leonard read it perfectly, took an intelligent risk, and snatched the ball right in front of Jones.
What about the Chargers?
The Raiders will play the Los Angeles Chargers at home on Sunday night in Prime Time at Allegiant Stadium. A win will cement a spot in the playoffs and a loss leads to it being up to the football gods to determine if they sneak in. Carr’s high turnover rate is becoming more alarming as it becomes a regular occurrence as he is on pace to match his touchdown rate with his interceptions. Carr has not scored more than one touchdown since Week 10’s loss to the Chiefs, 14–41.
The Chargers’ defense has been porous as of late, but their offense is ranked fourth overall in the league with quarterback Justin Herbert leading an explosive passing attack. The defense will have their hands full covering receivers Keenan Allen and Michael Williams, which means the offense will have to put up points to compensate, and one touchdown will not be enough. Additionally, needlessly turning the ball over will not help either. Carr can not expect the team to remain competitive if he does not take care of the football.
Fans of the Silver and Black are applauding Carr’s recent fourth quarter game winning drives, but they should not expect a successful playoff push either if Carr doesn’t fix this. The Raiders are down to their final chance to make something out of a rough season, so the time to fix the turnover issue is now.
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*Top Photo: Aaron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post