/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/44195126/usa-today-8216528.0.jpg)
These last few weeks for Oakland Raiders remarkable rookie QB Derek Carr have been, well, unremarkable. He has not had the help he needs to excell, but also hasn't been making enough plays himself either. The three and outs are far too many, while the TD passes are far too few.
It is an understandable regression for a rookie starting on a team with the worst running game since the 40's that also happens to be on the worst losing streak that the franchise has seen since 1962. It is very difficult to overcome the negatives when they snowball like they have been for this Raiders team for anybody, but it is taken to the next level of difficult with a rookie leading the way.
Besides all of the valid reasons for Carr's regression, he still needs to figure out a way to break out again. The Raiders might not be able to win this year with their current state of their team and the incredibly tough schedule ahead of them, but they definitely will not win without a superior performance from their QB.
With that in mind, here comes the very first primetime night game for Derek Carr. It is the perfect time for Carr to pump the brakes and put a stop to his current regression. This is now the biggest game of the season and therefore the biggest game of his young career. A great performance tonight would do wonders for his confidence and it would reignite the passionate feelings of this fan base that Carr is indeed the QB of the Future we all hope he is.
This game is against the Kansas City Chiefs who arguably have the best defense Derek Carr will have faced. They also are a divisional rival that is not just in the playoffs hunt, but also are getting ready for a showdown with the Denver Broncos that could decide the AFC West champion. It's no small task for Carr and the Raiders.
The way I see it, that makes this the perfect time for Derek to have his best game of his career. The entire country will be watching him play a team that nobody in their right mind would expect him to play great against. That creates opportunity. It creates the chance for Carr to surprise everybody and regain his momentum as the most talented rookie QB in 2014.
We will see what happens tonight. The discontent within the Raider Nation at the lack of substance behind Derek Carr's play as of late has been deepening. To quiet that growing displeasure among the fans we need to see something special from him again. There couldn't be a better time than now for that something special to happen.
Loading comments...