Raiders Season In Review: Derek Carr
In the kind of roller-coaster season that the Las Vegas Raiders went through this season, they needed a stabilizing force to keep it all together.
A significant part of that came from interim head coach Rich Bisaccia, but it also came from the team's tenured and often embattled quarterback, Derek Carr.
More than maybe any year of his career, Carr's leadership came into full focus, providing a calming touch on and off the field during a year filled with controversy and trauma.
Of course, his play on the field was still going to be the driving point for how the Raiders performed this year, and he was able to come up big in the clutch.
Carr set a new career-high for passing yards with 4,804 while he also completed 68 percent or better of his passes for the third time in the last four seasons.
Considering he did that while playing behind the worst-performing offensive line the Raiders have had in several years and a limited running game, Carr had no choice but to be the primary driver of the Raiders offense.
Carr demonstrated why if he ever hit the open market, NFL franchises would line up for his services. Embattle by the ignorant, Derek Carr is an elite quarterback.
Admittedly, it wasn't all pretty. Carr threw a career-high 14 interceptions and fumbled the ball 13 times, losing five of them.
He must improve ball security when it applies to fumbles. His interceptions were higher, because the Raiders asked him to throw more 50-50 balls, and he did.
Carr was able to step up, in the biggest moments, ending the year with six game-winning drives, one-off of his career-high seven from 2016.
Those drives were the reason the Raiders won four straight games to end the season and punch their ticket to the playoffs.
Through all there was to overcome this year, Carr came up big when it mattered most and proved that he has what it takes to be a top-10 level QB.
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