Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr is having a rough start to the 2022 regular season. His team is off to an underwhelming 0-3 start. However, he remains steadfast and confident the Raiders will get it together. For his efforts three weeks in, CBS Sports has him ranked in the top 15 of their NFL quarterback power rankings.
In his weekly update via CBS, sportswriter Cody Benjamin has Carr in the same spot as last week, tucked in below Kirk Cousins but above Trevor Lawrence. Interestingly enough, Benjamin mentions that Carr and Cousins are linked when it comes to quarterback rankings. If only Benjamin understood how much that statement infuriates Raider Nation, especially the Carr faithful. Regardless, Benjamin recognizes that No. 4 has had his share of big plays. Regrettably, he’s yet to stack up what really matters: victories.
“He and Cousins are forever linked in these exercises. The gusto is there, as are some pretty throws down the stretch (like his TD to Davante Adams in Week 3), but the big wins are not. Las Vegas is 0-3 for many reasons, but he hasn’t exactly steered the ship to safety.”
Is it a fair ranking for Derek Carr, all things considered?
Objectively speaking, Carr’s statistical performance has been solid. He was ostracized not long ago for shooting 17 targets toward Davante Adams’s way. However, if you bring in a player of Adams’s level, you force the ball to him; that’s why you got him. Something happened in response to these targets. Carr began spreading the ball around a lot more, with Darren Waller and Mack Hollins benefiting from this, namely Hollins, who exploded against the Tennessee Titans.
You have to also give credit where it’s due; Carr addressed the over-aggression as well. His turnovers decreased sharply when compared to Week 1’s performance, which was highlighted by three interceptions.
In response, he’s only thrown one interception in the last two weeks. His completion percentage has remained modest in the 59-64 range in these initial three games. The larger issues have been the ball security and the catastrophic drops by Carr’s receivers. It’ll be interesting to see how these rankings change after Week 4, more so if the Raiders win big at home against the Denver Broncos.
*Top Photo: Raiders Official YouTube Channel