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Raiders’ season ends with some ugly Derek Carr stats

Las Vegas quarterback took some lumps in his first playoff game

AFC Wild Card Playoffs - Las Vegas Raiders v Cincinnati Bengals
Derek Carr
Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images

Saturday was an opportunity for Derek Carr to have a career-defining game.

Carr, perhaps the most polarizing player in franchise history, didn’t take advantage of that chance. While he wasn’t awful and wasn’t the lone reason why the Las Vegas Raiders’ season ended in a 26-19 loss at the Cincinnati Bengals in the Super Wild Card round, he didn’t do enough to help his team win.

The Raiders’ incredible season ended with a Carr interception near the goal line on fourth down in the final seconds of the game.

No there no doubt the final play of the game was a bad one. Carr forced the ball to receiver Zay Jones even though three defenders were closing in on him. The entire play was poorly executed, though. The Raiders’ two most dangerous receiving weapons, tight end Darren Waller and slot receiver Hunter Renfrow were after thoughts in the play call.

But the Raiders’ passing-game failures were deeper than one play on Saturday. In the first playoff game of his career, Carr’s penchant for turnovers bit him. In addition to the late pick, Carr lost a fumble in the first quarter that resulted in three points for Cincinnati.

Of course, turnovers have been a career-long issue for Carr. He leads the NFL in fumbles since he entered the NFL in 2014. In the Raiders’ final 11 games this season, Carr had 16 turnovers and accounted for just 12 touchdowns.

In addition to the turnover issues, Carr and the Raiders’ offense continued to sag in the red zone against the Bengals. They were just 1-for-5 inside the red zone Saturday, continuing a season-long problem. Kicker Daniel Carlson had four field goals and he was second in the NFL with 43 field-goal attempts in the regular season. According to ESPN, Carr’s red-zone woes were nearly historic Saturday.

Of course, all of these issues are part of a big picture and cannot all be pinned on Carr. The receivers and the coaching also played a part in in the uneven play, but there’s no doubt Carr played a role in Las Vegas’ ultimate demise.