Going into Week 16, the Raiders were facing the NFL’s No. 1 ranked defense in the Denver Broncos. Things got even harder for the Raiders when it was announced that Bryan Edwards was going on the reserve/COVID-19 list hours before kickoff.
The Raiders needed Derek Carr to play a good game and he did. He completed 20 of 25 passes for 201 yards and a touchdown. His one mistake was an interception on a screen pass that led to a touchdown for the Broncos right before halftime.
Other than that, Carr was good. He did not challenge Denver’s secondary down the field much as he had zero passing attempts over 20 air yards. Instead, he diced up Denver in the middle of the field and it ended up being a winning strategy for the Raiders.
Take a look at Carr’s passing chart via the NFL’s Next Gen Stats from Week 16:
Here is #Raiders QB Derek Carr's passing chart from Week 16 via the NFL's Next Gen Stats: pic.twitter.com/VLeyIFQpzY
— Marcus Mosher (@Marcus_Mosher) December 27, 2021
The Raiders will finish the 2021 season against the Indianapolis Colts and the Los Angeles Chargers. If the Raiders can win those two games, they will be in the playoffs for the first time since the 2017 season.
But in order for the Raiders to accomplish that goal, they need Carr to continue to play well. If they could get back Bryan Edwards or Darren Waller soon to help him, that would be ideal. But they need their franchise quarterback to carry them in order to make the playoffs this year.
