Derek Carr’s football career has been an interesting one for the Las Vegas Raiders quarterback. The Bakersfield native who was selected in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft has seen ups and downs with this team; he hasn’t always played well, but he can claim to be the first Raider quarterback to ever throw for 200 touchdowns.
Milestone for Derek Carr and #RaiderNation. pic.twitter.com/H2ctNTaOzD
— Sunday Night Football on NBC (@SNFonNBC) October 11, 2022
How it all happened for Raiders QB Derek Carr
Carr’s first touchdown came during his rookie season against the New York Jets. Carr connected with former Raiders wide receiver Rod Streater for a 12-yard touchdown. This was the start of a record-breaking career for the Raiders’ signal caller.
In the 2017–18 season, the coveted 100th touchdown pass was thrown against the Dallas Cowboys. Carr and former Raiders wide receiver Michael Crabtree connected on a two-yard touchdown connection in the third quarter. There was no better way for Carr to score his 200th throwing touchdown. In a fourth-and-short situation involving the Raiders, coach Josh McDaniels called up a long pass to Davante Adams. Adams hauled in a 58-yard touchdown, which happened to be Carr’s 200th of his career.
Adams was the ideal candidate to get Carr’s 200th touchdown. At Fresno State University, they both played together, and eight years later, they are reuniting in Las Vegas. This was the ideal situation for Carr to throw his historic touchdown pass. Carr’s 200 passing touchdowns is now 50 touchdowns clear of second place, held by the all-time great Kenny Stabler. Carr is now the Raiders’ leader in passing touchdowns, passing yards, completions, passer rating, and pass completion percentage.
Carr’s career seems like a success, right?
Carr is the greatest quarterback in Raiders history statistically, but without victories or championship rings, these numbers are nothing. Carr has 58 victories in 131 starts and a 44 percent winning percentage. With Carr in charge, the Raiders have only made the playoffs twice. By this point, the majority of teams would have moved on, but the Raiders stayed with him, which allowed him to pat his stats with the team. In all these statistical categories, Raider quarterbacks like Stabler and Jim Plunkett rank behind Carr, but they accomplished something Carr hasn’t: they led their team to a Super Bowl victory.
Carr can amass all the stats, but if he can’t win some hardware, he won’t establish himself as the best Raiders quarterback of all time.
Raiders caught a break vs. Chiefs and social media isn’t pleased
*Top Photo: Sports Illustrated
