Oakland Raiders: Five reasons they could miss the playoffs in 2018

Carr’s 2017 Wasn’t An Aberration

Perhaps the single most worrisome possibility to consider is the idea – perhaps, as unlikely as it may be – that Derek Carr‘s down year in 2017 wasn’t the exception, but the new norm.

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One of the single largest obstacles that would prevent the Raiders from making a run at the postseason in 2018 would be if Carr’s performance last year wasn’t an anomaly, but the start of a trend.

It seems unlikely, given his year-to-year upward progression over his first three years in the league. But that fourth year? Wow, what a stinker.

Now, he not only had to contend with the transverse process fracture in his back – but that doesn’t entirely explain everything away. He did, after all, put up a horrendous stinker of a game in Washington, before he was injured.

It seems pretty clear though, that he was bothered by it all season long.

Carr was further handicapped by the walking, talking, breathing embodiment of incompetence in Todd Downing as the team’s offensive coordinator last season. After watching how poorly he handled one of the league’s most explosive offenses last season, he shouldn’t be trusted to call plays in the Puppy Bowl, let alone the NFL ever again.

But, the fact remains – Carr was down in virtually every conceivable metric last season. Except for turnovers – he was up quite a bit in that one.

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Given Carr’s drive and nearly insane work ethic, it seems unlikely that 2017 is the “new normal.” And he seems like exactly the type of quarterback who will be able to thrive in a Gruden-led offense.

But, if Carr, for whatever reason, can’t regain the form that led him to be a serious MVP candidate, this team is in big, big trouble. For as Carr goes, so go the Raiders.