One of the best things about Derek Carr throughout his career is his ability to complete a high percentage of his passes and not turn the ball over. The same is playing out this season as he has a completion percentage of 70.6 percent and has thrown only eight interceptions in 12 games.
However, Carr’s willingness to protect the ball rather than taking shots down the field might actually be hurting the Raiders’ offense. In a recent article by Pro Football Focus, the site discussed some of the reasons for the Raiders’ recent regression on offense. One of their biggest concerns was Carr’s average depth per target:
Speaking of regression, the Raiders came into the season with similar question marks at receiver, and despite breakout seasons from tight end Darren Waller and rookie wideout Hunter Renfrow, the lack of depth may be catching up. Oakland quarterback Derek Carr has not pushed the ball downfield nearly enough, especially during the blowout losses over the last two weeks where his average depth of target is only 6.4, third-lowest in the league during that time. Carr has all of the necessary big-time throws in his arsenal, but either his conservatism or perhaps a lack of downfield playmakers has hindered Oakland’s ability to create big plays in the passing game.
The lack of consistent receivers has certainly hurt Carr’s willingness to throw down the field, but their franchise quarterback needs to keep defenses honest. Opposing defensive coordinators know that Oakland wants to throw the ball short, and they are now able to take that away.
Over the next four weeks, the success of the Raiders’ offense might rely on Carr being able to throw the ball down the field with accuracy to create big plays. If that doesn’t happen, expect the team’s struggles on offense to continue.
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