Derek Carr, Oakland Raiders not ready yet

Dec 6, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr (4) throws the ball against the Kansas City Chiefs during the fourth quarter at O.co Coliseum. The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Oakland Raiders 34-20. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr is the fifth player in NFL history with over 3,000 yards and 20 TD passes in each of his first two years. So from that, you can see that he is well on his way to leading his Raiders to the promised land. But on Sunday, he and his young football team showed that they’re ready for that playoff life yet.

They played against the Kansas City Chiefs played in a game with a playoff atmosphere as both teams are fighting for playoff spots. In the beginning of the game, those watching would have thought they were ready. Carr got off to a good start, leading the Raiders to a touchdown on the opening drive.

The turned into a defensive struggle after that but it looked like he was catching fire again until his 4th-quarter mistakes. First, he missed a wide-open Michael Crabtree that could have resulted in a TD. Then on the next play, Carr threw an interception that was returned to the 1-yardline where the Chiefs scored from.

Later on in the game, receiver Amari Cooper beat Marcus Peters deep for what could have been a touchdown but Carr threw it out of bounds. After that, he threw a floater to who-knows-who that Peters waited for, picked it off and returned it to the 16 where the Chiefs scored again.

And to complete his 4th-quarter melt-down, he throws a pick-6 to former Raiders safety Tyvon Branch. Before all the interceptions, it looked like the Raiders were starting to take control of the game. Lining two corners up on three receivers is a subject for another article but the rest are the kinds of things that happen to young quarterbacks and teams.

The lessons they learned from games like that this year will have them ready to win next year.

But right now, the Raiders aren’t ready for that playoff life.