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Since his career began with the Silver & Black in 2014, quarterback Derek Carr has 14 fourth quarter comebacks under his belt. Sunday was not one of those games, as Carr literally threw away any chance of a Raiders victory on a 4th and 5 attempt inside the red zone.
After a 1-8 start to the season, the fifth-year veteran has taken his fair share of blame. But Mark Davis isn’t fully convinced the criticism is warranted.
“Derek’s taking a lot of s--- right now,” Davis told ESPN on Monday. “He is the franchise quarterback right now. He doesn’t have Amari Cooper. He lost (Martavis) Bryant to a knee injury today. Guys have been getting hurt. Who’s he throwing to? Jordy Nelson and Seth Roberts, which are good guys. But they’re not putting the fear of God in anybody.”
“The tight end (Jared Cook) is playing his ass off,” Davis continued. “You look at the quarterback and he’s playing behind a battered offensive line ... so I don’t know what you can put on Derek and I don’t think it’s fair to put all the blame on him.”
Davis has a point. In the past four games, Nelson has recorded just five receptions for 36 yards and zero touchdowns. When Brandon LaFell is your team’s best receiver, you’re in trouble.
Next week #Raiders WR corps will consist of:
— Levi Damien (@LeviDamien) November 13, 2018
1. A guy who 3 weeks ago was inactive and didn't have a catch this season.
2. A 4-year career slot guy who has never cracked 500 yards in a season
3. A special teamer
4. A 7th rd rookie in his 1st NFL game
5. Street FA or PS call up.
Meanwhile, knee injuries to Kolton Miller and Kelechi Osemele decimated the left side of the offensive line, while rookie Brandon Parker has struggled at right tackle. The result is that Carr is on pace to take 50 sacks in 2018, topping his previous single-season high by 19.
The craziest part about that statistic is Carr has long had one of the lowest time until throw in the NFL. Through nine games, Carr has averaged 2.61 seconds before throwing the football, which is currently the 5th lowest in the league. Yet, Carr has still been sacked at a ridiculous rate without any weapons to throw to.
There is no doubt that the Raiders franchise quarterback is unrecognizable from his stellar 2016 season, but Davis realizes part of the problem is his surrounding environment.
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