Through the first month of the season, the Oakland Raiders are in a good spot. The team is 2-2, and they are tied for the fourth-best record in the AFC. They’ve already played two divisional games and are still right in the thick of things in the conference.
There are a lot of things to be excited about with this Raiders’ team, but the play of quarterback Derek Carr may be the most concerning. While Carr currently has a passer rating of 96.7 with six touchdowns to three interceptions, that doesn’t tell the whole story.
According to ESPN’s QBR metric, Carr is playing at a below-average level, finishing 21st through the first four weeks of the season. Quarterbacks such as Joe Flacco, Mason Rudolph, and Gardner Minshew all have higher QBRs than the Raiders’ franchise passer.
If the Raiders are going to contend this season, they are going to need more from Carr. While it’s true that his offensive line and receiver corps is banged up, they need their franchise quarterback to overcome some of these problems, especially in upcoming games.
If Carr can’t improve throughout the next 12 weeks, it wouldn’t be a shock if the team started to explore possible replacements. However, if Carr can lead his team to the playoffs or close to it, that might not even be a thought that crosses the mind of Mike Mayock or Jon Gruden.
The next three months are going to tell us a lot about Carr and his future with the team. Hopefully, he can start to improve as a passer as Oakland looks to make the playoffs for the first time since 2016.
