Props to Derek Carr for playing a great game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday; the New Orleans Saints devised a plan well-suited for their quarterback, giving Carr favorable looks off of play action with a variety of big-bodied tight ends getting open downfield.
And Carr was productive. He had one of his best games of the year, completing 24 of 32 passes (75%) for 197 yards and scoring two touchdowns. He didn’t turn the ball over and he only took one sack, which he reflected on when speaking with reporters after the game.
“(The Buccaneers) have a lot of disguises, they hide their pressures better than anybody else. They’ve played a lot of football together, and you can tell,” Carr said postgame. Per ESPN Stats and Info, Carr was blitzed on 41% of his dropbacks in the first half but completed 8 of his 9 passes against the blitz — gaining 75 yards and scoring a touchdown.
But what’s most encouraging was what else Carr had to say about his performance under pressure: “To come out of that with one sack, which was my fault, but none by the O-line, that’s an amazing feat that they had, and they deserve a lot of credit.”
That’s accountability. It’s exactly what Carr’s critics (including those here at Saints Wire) have been wanting to see from the quarterback. Not finger pointing, not filibusters, not blaming someone else when he’s obviously made a mistake. Owning up to his errors and taking responsibility for them will go a long way.
So what happened on that sack? Carr was moved off his spot by pressure from Buccaneers outside linebacker Markees Watts, who sent him running out of bounds. Carr wasn’t technically taken to the turf for a conventional sack, but it was a 6-yard loss that went down in the stats sheet as one. And the play happened on third down to force a New Orleans punt midway through the third quarter, which wasn’t ideal.
Maybe Carr could navigate that situation better by getting rid of the football sooner or throwing it away to avoid the loss of yardage. Either way, that he acknowledged it and gave his teammates the credit they deserved for standing up against a challenging opponent is good to see. Getting everyone on the same page is critical for team success, whether that’s knocking out the Atlanta Falcons next week or, if they can get some outside help, keeping it going into the playoffs.
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