Oakland Raiders: Top 5 takeaways from Week 2 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs
![OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 15: Derek Carr #4 of the Oakland Raiders throws a pass during the second half against the Kansas City Chiefs at RingCentral Coliseum on September 15, 2019 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/Getty Images) OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 15: Derek Carr #4 of the Oakland Raiders throws a pass during the second half against the Kansas City Chiefs at RingCentral Coliseum on September 15, 2019 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/Getty Images)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/6add2baac04c52ed9a398a4c9387e39a2e1b81f6f4d9dbc9df5ca420fb888673.jpg)
4. Derek Carr lost his composure
This was a melancholy afternoon for Derek Carr, who will be in and out of the hot seat all season depending on how the Raiders are doing, week to week.
Any mention of Carr this week can’t go without mention of his historic day, passing Ken Stabler as the all-time passing leader for the Raiders.
The Hall of Famer held the record for 40 years and is widely regarded as the greatest quarterback to ever dawn silver and black. It had to be a humbling experience to surpass one of the Raider greats as a Fresno native.
That all being said, Carr seemed to regress this week.
After last week’s breakout performance against the Denver Broncos, fans had hopes that Carr was back to the confident, gun-slinging passer that he showed in his earlier years. We saw glimpses of that same Carr in the first quarter.
Unfortunately, Raider Nation was reminded of the ‘Tale of Two Carrs’ this weekend. While the confident leader arrived and led the team to a quick 10-0 start, he cracked under pressure and seemed to lose his team on the way to a 28-10 shellacking.
One of Carr’s biggest problems is that he attempts to overcompensate for the team’s shortcoming. This is shown in the way he handles the press just as much as the way he presents himself on the field.
As the Chiefs began to get it going in the second quarter, Carr began having issues against a Kansas City defense that historically has had trouble stopping him.
In the third quarter, after the sensational run by Josh Jacobs, the Raiders were in striking distance to make it a two-possession game with plenty of time left.
Related Story. Oakland Raiders: Previewing Week 2 from a Kansas City Chiefs perspective. light
Carr attempted to throw an endzone fade to Tyrell Williams but instead threw a lollipop to Bashaud Breeland. Williams was too busy looking for a nonexistent pass interference call to even go up and contest the fade into Breeland’s mitts.
It served as a turning point for the entire game. Carr seemed frustrated on the field and his team followed suit, with the offensive line seeming to give up well into the second half.
A four-touchdown quarter from Mahomes is plenty enough to push a team back on their heels, but it’s Carr’s job as the leader of this time to rally the troops and put something on the board.
That cannot be the onus of rookies playing like they have nothing to lose.
Carr once again lost his confidence and shattered the mystical illusion of his former glory. This is the version of Carr that gets the team and the fanbase so frustrated. It was enough to get a rowdy Coliseum crowd booing their own team by the end of the game.
As mentioned previously, the blame will fall squarely on the shoulders of Carr whether it’s fair or not. Jon Gruden will be protected by this ownership group for the foreseeable future.
With an outing like today, Carr adds another tally to games that might be putting his Raiders career in jeopardy come this offseason.
There’s still hope that he can write this game off and bounce back with a confidence-inspiring game, but he’s going to need to stay composed and keep doing what he can to rally his teammates.