Oakland Raiders: Notes & Observations From The Week That Was

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Sep 20, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr (4) warms up before the start of the game against the Baltimore Ravens at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

Carr in Command

From the opening snap, it was clear that second year quarterback Derek Carr wasn’t slowed by the pressure and jitters that had plagued him in their opening week match up.

Against the Bengals, Carr was hesitant and tentative. He lacked the patience to go through his reads to find the right receiver, often forcing passes that just weren’t there. Of course, he wasn’t helped by a receivers group that dropped half a dozen passes on the day.

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Carr came out against Baltimore and from the first snap, he was very clearly in command of this offense and this team. He didn’t dance around in the pocket like he did against Cincinnati, even in the face of a sometimes fierce Ravens pass rush that put a heavy hit on him. Even though those hits sometimes came late.

But Carr was patient, he cycled through his reads, identified the open receivers, and made some tremendous throws on the day.

The Raiders’ signal caller was cool under pressure, efficient, and absolutely electric. He looked every bit the part of the franchise quarterback the Raiders believe him to be. Carr was able to shake off a late and potentially costly interception – on a very poorly thrown pass – late in the fourth quarter to calmly lead the Raiders on a game winning drive.

Statistics aside, Carr had one of his best days as a pro in his young career. He looked more the savvy veteran than a quarterback with just eighteen regular season starts under his belt. Time and time again, he led the Raiders offense on drives that ended in points, kept pace with a suddenly hot Ravens offense, and ultimately put one in the endzone to win the game.

Statistically speaking though, Carr finished the day 30 of 46 for 351 yards, three touchdowns, and the one interception. He finished his afternoon with a very respectable QB rating of 100.9 and a very important win for his team.

Next: The Chink in the Armor

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