Raiders QB Derek Carr appears on track for career season
ALAMEDA, Calif. — Derek Carr knew not to force it.
Not here. Not now.
Fifty-eight seconds remained Sunday in the fourth quarter. The Raiders, trailing 21-20, were in seven-man protection at the Arizona Cardinals’ 37-yard line. Kicker Daniel Carlson routinely converts 55-yard field goals as the final rep to his pregame warmup. That’s what distance this would be.
Before the snap, Arizona showed a seven-man rush. Five defenders ultimately were sent; two linebackers dropped into zone coverage. Carr scanned the field. Nothing. He scampered to his right — still nothing. He couldn’t afford a sack for loss or strip, so he slid toward the line of scrimmage for a 0-yard sack.
And a new milestone.
Six games are left this campaign, and Carr already has been sacked 32 times, one more than his previous high in 2015.
Myriad injuries and other personnel issues have impacted his offensive line and wide receiver corps. While such shortcomings influence the offense’s output, contributing to a 2-8 record, they ought not to overshadow one of the more encouraging aspects of this Raiders season.
That is Carr.
Despite it all, by some measures, he is having his best year.
“He’s done well,” coach Jon Gruden said. “I think that’s what every great quarterback has to do in this league. I think if you look at (Saints quarterback) Drew Brees, I don’t know how many receivers that have come and gone through New Orleans. (Green Bay Packers quarterback) Aaron Rodgers is going through it. They all go through it. (New England Patriots quarterback) Tom Brady goes through it.
“These guys go through it. He’s got to deal with it. That’s what comes with being a CEO-type quarterback, and I thought he has handled it extremely well, and that’s a credit to him.”
Completion rates have risen across the NFL in 2018. Entering Week 12, the league average was 65.1 percent, up from 62.1 last year. Even so, the trend does not encapsulate Carr’s progress. He has completed 70.4 percent of passes compared to 62.7 in 2017. His previous best, 63.8, was in 2016 when the Raiders finished 12-4 and he received MVP consideration.
That efficiency is paired with 7.5 yards per average pass attempt, up from 6.8 last year. His previous best, 7.0, was twice reached in 2015 and 2016.
Carr tossed eight interceptions in the first five games in Gruden’s offense. He has thrown zero in the five since.
This is the longest stretch in his NFL career without an interception; he’d never before achieved four full games. Carr’s last pick, on Oct. 7 at the Los Angeles Chargers, involved maybe his worst decision this season. He pressed on first-and-goal from the 1-yard line, forcing a throw to tight end Derek Carrier.
Los Angeles Chargers defensive end Melvin Ingram undercut it in the end zone.
Carr has thrown 157 passes in the five games plus a quarter since. He completed 110 of them — 70 percent — for 1,072 yards and six touchdowns while taking 22 sacks. He owns a 101. 7 rating in the span despite those sacks, despite wide receiver Amari Cooper’s trade to the Dallas Cowboys, despite Week 10 knee injuries to wide receivers Jordy Nelson and Martavis Bryant, despite a season-ending Achilles’ tendon rupture for Brandon LaFell last Sunday in Week 11.
He was without them all Sunday on the play following his 0-yard sack.
Carr anticipated a blitz and adjusted accordingly. Wide receiver Seth Roberts caught a quick pass and sprinted to a 20-yard gain. Carr hurried and spiked a pass with 2 seconds remaining.
On came Carlson, who converted a 35-yard field goal as time expired.
“I see a pro every day, no matter the outcome, win or loss,” right guard Gabe Jackson said of Carr. “He just comes to work. He’s always looking for a way to get better, to make everyone around here better. That’s always been his deal. That’s one reason why everybody loves him. He’s our guy.”
Raiders owner Mark Davis hired Gruden to turn around an NFL franchise. He didn’t hire him to do so in one year. Constructing a contender is a process, and its success will be defined in large part by the personnel decisions to come.
Amid the muck of the first 10 games, there is some encouragement.
Gruden’s quarterback is on track.
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Contact reporter Michael Gehlken at mgehlken@reviewjournal.com. Follow @GehlkenNFL on Twitter.
