Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr threw several costly interceptions against the Los Angeles Chargers last Sunday. Be that as it may, Carr nearly led his team to another come-from-behind victory, something he’s no stranger to. However, maybe avoiding that scenario altogether would be the smarter route against the Arizona Cardinals. Going into this next matchup, the Raiders will look to exploit the Cardinals’ tendency to blitz regularly and get the ball into the hands of their wide receivers quickly. Former Raiders cornerback and now NFL analyst, DeAngelo Hall, predicts that two of the Raiders’ stars will reach the endzone as a result.
Are Raiders WRs Hunter Renfrow and Darren Waller both due for a touchdown vs. the Cardinals?
As the Raiders surely recall, Carr looked to Davante Adams a lot. To be fair, Adams repaid that trust with double-digit receptions and a touchdown, along with eight first-down conversions. Nevertheless, 17 total targets is a lot when you consider the other options that Carr has, in particular, Hunter Renfrow and Darren Waller. Hall believes that the latter are both due for a score this Sunday.
“Davante Adams was — unsurprisingly — the apple of Derek Carr’s eye in the season opener, with the pair connecting 10 times for 141 yards, while Darren Waller and Hunter Renfrow combined for 100 receiving yards. This week, though, the veteran QB gets Waller and Renfrow involved early and often, as they double their combined yardage from last week and each score a touchdown.”
Looking at the numbers, the Raiders’ passing offense matches up favorably against the Cardinals. Obviously, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes shredded the Cards’ pass defense last Sunday. So, with the bevy of weapons that Carr has, there’s no reason to think he can’t have two to three touchdown passes of his own versus that defense. Last year, Arizona had the 25th-ranked passing defense in terms of touchdowns surrendered (30), allowing nearly 6.5 yards per pass attempt. Oppositely, the Raiders ranked sixth in passing yards, throwing for nearly 269 yards a game.
Can Derek Carr bounce back on Sunday?
Despite Carr’s turnovers, the fact is that he was being overly aggressive, forcing throws, especially to Adams. Facing a team that loves to blitz, Josh McDaniels will certainly need to find a way to get himself extra time to throw. Perhaps, bringing in a second tight end or dropping one of the runners back into pass protection might be the answer. If Carr looks to spread the ball around, look for Renfrow and Waller to make the Cardinals’ defense pay. As Hall mentioned, as long as Carr gets the aforementioned duo going early and often, there’s no reason to think his prediction won’t come to fruition.
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*Top Photo: Sky Sports