What We Learned About the Oakland Raiders Thursday Night

4 of 7

Dec 8, 2016; Kansas City, MO, USA; Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr (4) throws a pass during the second half of the game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports /

Derek Carr no MVP

This writer is a huge fan of Raiders quarterback Derek Carr but can’t defend his game Thursday night. Carr played himself out of the NFL MVP race, playing horribly in the biggest game of the year. MVPs shine brightest in the biggest games on primetime stages.

He was kept clean, not under duress all night and still missed wide open receivers. When he did hit them, they dropped the ball but Carr had problems with his accuracy all night. He sped through his progressions and didn’t throw to wide open guys at times.

In his worse game as a pro, he played like his college scouting report, the one that got him picked in the second round. He freaked out at any sign of a rush and consistently came off reads too early. And he had no accuracy when he was under pressure.

Carr is known for his accuracy under pressure in the NFL but it wasn’t there for him Thursday. There’s something about the Chiefs that bothers him. All sports stars have something to overcome and for Carr, it looks like the Chiefs are that thing.

Home/Las Vegas Raiders