The Raiders looked incredible in the first three drives of the game, scoring points on each possession. While they settled for too many field goals, they did take a 13-3 lead after the first three possessions.
But the game changed when Derek Carr threw a red-zone interception right before halftime. Instead of just taking a sack on third down, Carr tried to hit Davante Adams in the back of the end zone while being hit. That resulted in an interception and the Raiders failing to take a commanding 16-3 lead going into halftime.
Carr was awful in the second half, throwing for just 11 yards. Three of their next four drives in the second half were three and outs as Carr just couldn’t get the offense going at all.
The offense struggled badly in the second half and it’s ultimately the reason why they lost this game. Despite strong performances from Josh Jacobs and Davante Adams, it was their quarterback who let them down.
Carr finished the game with a passer rating of 36.9, which is the worst that he’s had in several seasons. It’s worth mentioning that just spiking the ball into the ground on every play would net Carr a passer rating of 39.6. That’s how poorly he played on Thursday.
Here is a look at his passing chart via the NFL’s Next Gen Stats. As you will see, Carr had very little success throwing the ball over the middle of the field on Thursday.
Here is #Raiders QB Derek Carr's passing chart from Week 14 via the NFL's Next Gen Stats: pic.twitter.com/gpPPCI5t1H
— Marcus Mosher (@Marcus_Mosher) December 9, 2022
The Raiders sit at 5-8 and are likely out of the playoff picture in the AFC. If they want to have any hope of making the tournament, they’ll need to win out and get some help along the way.
But with the way they played on Thursday, there is nothing to suggest this is even close to a borderline playoff team. Especially if Carr continues to play this way.
