In what was essentially a playoff game for the Las Vegas Raiders, the spotlight was on Derek Carr and the offense. Here is how they fared against the Indianapolis Colts.
Hunter Renfrow Shines Again
As he has all season, Hunter Renfrow supplied both big plays and reliability. With seven catches for 76 yards and a touchdown, the Clemson product raised his season totals to 99 catches for 1,025 yards and seven touchdowns. All of which are career bests by a wide margin. The highlights in this one were some of the best plays of his career but also not out of the ordinary for him. The first was the touchdown that came on a play that broke down early.
However, Carr got out of the pocket and hit Renfrow in the end zone as he fought through pass interference to make the play and give Las Vegas the lead. The next was a play that truly saved the Raiders’ season. On another play that broke down, Carr scrambled around and flicked it to Renfrow, who made a diving catch on third down to put the Raiders in position to kick the game-winning field goal. Working against Pro Bowler Kenny Moore most of the night, “13” dominated the matchup and reached 1,000 yards for the first time in his career.
Down by a finger, but @renfrowhunter is just ridiculous.#LVvsIND | FOX | #RaiderNation pic.twitter.com/v8nnQgrbVp
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) January 2, 2022
In addition to Renfrow, Zay Jones supplied the Raiders with big plays as well. It was a big game for him from a statistical standpoint as well, as he reached 100 yards receiving for the first time in his career. He had eight grabs for 120 yards in this one. While he is not a game-changing player by any means, he is trusted by Carr and it shows every game. Since the loss of Henry Ruggs III, he has been asked to carry a larger load and, while it has not been all sunshine and rainbows, he has earned his spot.
Derek Carr is clutch (as usual)
To be perfectly honest, Carr was not very good in this game. The first miscue was a first-quarter interception that killed Las Vegas’s momentum. Even worse, Desean Jackson was open on the play, and Carr just underthrew it. His inability to get on the same page with Jackson has been a strange development since he was acquired. The second interception was just a bad play from the veteran quarterback. Looking to make a play in the middle of the field, Carr looked to throw a crosser but was far too late on it. As such, the ball ended up in the hands of Darius Leonard. That was a fantastic play by the Colts linebacker, but Carr needs to know he can’t make this throw.
Alas, it was all okay in the end as Carr was able to engineer yet another game-winning drive. The final drive really showed how good Carr can be when he looks to extend plays and take chances down the field. The third-down throw to Renfrow was especially clutch. This is how the Raiders’ offense functions best. Allow the running game to take precedent and simply ask Carr to manage the game. The weapons are not good enough currently for a full-scale passing onslaught. However, with the return of Darren Waller likely next week, that could change.
Regardless, the Raiders appear to have found a winning formula: run the ball consistently and let Carr find Renfrow. With an improved defense, the Raiders will hope this formula rings true in Week 18 as they hunt for a playoff spot.
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*Top Photo: Dustin Bradford/Getty ImagesÂ