Derek Carr Ready to Step up to Elite Quarterback Status

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Sep 11, 2016; New Orleans, LA, USA; Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr (4) throws against the New Orleans Saints during the first quarter of a game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports /

Week 1 of Year 3

For Carr to end up with elite quarterback status, he would have to make another jump to Year 3. It’s usually around that time that we find out if he is either elite or elite quarterback material. From what we saw in Week 3 against the Saints, he’s already there.

Carr completed 63 percent of his passes for 319 yards, 1 TD and a quarterback rating of 98.5. He was accurate on his deep balls and ate the blitz up with 120 quarterback rating against it. He even somersaulted at the end of a run to pick up a first down and 3rd-and-9.

Then at the end of the game, Carr out-Breesed elite quarterback Drew Brees. He brought the Raiders back from a 14-point deficit to throw the game winning TD and 2-point conversion. Carr showed his improvement and imposed his will on the Saints.

In Week 1, everyone is hard to beat at home, especially the Saints in that loud Superdome. But if you saw the look in Carr’s eyes before the last drive, you knew what was going to happen. The rest of the NFL is definitely on notice about Carr going forward.

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