If you were to look at the volume stats from Week 10, it would appear that Derek Carr had a below-average day at the office. He threw for just 156 yards and scored no touchdowns. Even his completion percentage (64 percent) was below his season average of 69.3 percent. But that is why volume stats never really tell the full story.
Carr was magnificent on Sunday, helping lead the Raiders up and down the field against the rival Broncos. He also wasn’t helped out much from his receivers as you can count at least three drops that would have led to 40+ yard completions or a touchdown.
Pro Football Focus saw what we all did in Week 10 as Carr was graded as the highest-passer of the week. His grade of 90.3 against the Broncos was the best of the season. Take a look at the site’s top-five graded quarterbacks this week:
Highest-graded QBs in Wk 10 prior to MNF:
1. Derek Carr – 90.3
2. Daniel Jones – 84.2
3. Jared Goff – 82.0
4. Deshaun Watson – 74.8
5. Tom Brady – 74.4 pic.twitter.com/XNCE2fQC01— PFF (@PFF) November 16, 2020
As the Raiders begin to inch closer and closer to the playoffs, it’s clear that Carr is having the best season of his career. He’s being far more aggressive than ever before and the team is putting more on his shoulders.
The Raiders will only go as far as Carr takes him and right now, he’s playing like one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. If he can continue to play at this level for the next seven weeks, the Raiders should be considered a lock to make the 2020-2021 playoffs.
