Waller Is Once Again Carr’s Go-To
As expected, tight end Darren Waller was once again quarterback Derek Carr’s go-to guy. It was a vital reason the Las Vegas Raiders won a 33-27 OT thriller.
On Monday Night Football, the Las Vegas Raiders quarterback found Waller 10 times for 105 receiving yards including one touchdown. Waller averaged 10.5 yards per reception.
However, what wasn’t expected is the amount of dropped passes by Waller and the number of misfires by Carr.
In total, the pair missed connecting nine times last night. That needs to get better because half of the missed catches should have been caught.
Either way, it was as if Waller just continued what he was doing last season.
Yet, as expected, Waller, alongside the rest of the offense, was effective when the rest of the receiving and rushing corps got some touches of their own.
The Raiders are the most successful when the targets are spread.
Take for instance wide receiver Bryan Edwards, who had no targets or receptions until the last drive of the fourth quarter in crunch time.
That opening happened because, at that point of the game, the Baltimore Ravens were expecting a pass to be sent to Waller.
Then there’s the game-winning touchdown, scored by wide receiver Zay Jones.
Jones only had one other reception in the entire game. The Ravens were double covering Waller and wide receiver Hunter Renfrow, thinking if the Silver and Black threw deep, it would be to one of the two.
Instead, Carr found Jones wide open deep for the game-ending win.
So while Waller does remain Carr’s go-to target, it doesn’t happen without the effort of the entire offense.
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