Carr, Raiders offense stall vs. Jets, see positives in loss
Did we really, really think that Derek Carr would exactly light it up against the Jets?
Okay, maybe some of us thought he would’ve played well against a makeshift Jets secondary, however without a productive run game the offense stalled in the Raiders 19-14 loss to the Jets on Sunday.
That’s not to say that Carr had a bad game overall. The rookie out of Fresno State went 20-for-32 for 151 yards with his first two touchdown passes of his career.
He led the Raiders to their first and only lead of the game in the first quarter, throwing a 12-yard touchdown to Rod Streater on a swing route to put Oakland up 7-3. His second touchdown came toward the end of the game on a 30-yard touchdown pass to James Jones, who made a highlight-reel catch in the final minute of the game.
“I don’t think the game was too big for him,” Raiders head coach Dennis Allen said after the game. “Overall I saw some positive signs, some things that he did well. Obviously, I saw some mistakes.”
“I need to do a better job of putting us in better situations,” Carr mentioned. “Now I have to do a better job of making the correct calls. You can put it all on me.”
#Raiders did not lose this game because the game is too big for Carr. That's important for down the road.
— Bill Williamson (@BWilliamsonNFL) September 7, 2014
The mistakes that Allen is talking about are more from the rest of the team compared to Carr.
The Raiders offensive line was able to handle the Jets pressure in the first half, however they started getting to Carr in the second half, sacking him twice.
Offensively, Oakland gained just 158 yards. Defensively, the Raiders allowed a total of 402 yards against the Jets, 212 on the ground.
The Raiders defense came through in the clutch twice in the first half with Charles Woodson’s interception of Geno Smith on the Jets second possession of the first and forced a fumble on the following Jets possession by Smith inside the Raiders’ five-yard line.
Woodson also joined Hall of Fame cornerback Darrell Green as the only players with at least one interception in at least 17 straight years. Green did it in 19 straight years.
Even though Oakland falls to 0-3 in season openers under Dennis Allen and the Raiders’ 158 yards were the fewest since their 124 yard performance against the Giants in 2009, there are still things to look forward to with Carr and this Raiders offense going into their home opener next Sunday against the Texans.
Consensus from within Raiders locker room, stop if you've heard this before . . . need to be consistent, just a play or two away, etc.
— Jerry McDonald (@Jerrymcd) September 7, 2014
The Raiders showed that they can drive downfield with Carr in their final drive. In that final drive, the Raiders went 73 yards in six plays in just 1:18. Carr was 4-for-5 on that final drive for 61 yards, capping it with the 30-yard scoring pass to Jones.
Maurice Jones-Drew and James Jones were very positive afterward. Jones called game “a stepping stone for our offense.” #Raiders
— Vic Tafur (@VicTafur) September 7, 2014
After struggling all game offensively, ending the game with a touchdown drive can be momentum for the offense as the season goes on. They just have to build on that particular drive since it was the only one that Oakland had to go from their end of the field to score.
Jets coach Rex Ryan said he would have schemes and blitzes ready for the rookie Carr and while the Raiders didn’t turn the ball over (or have more than 10 penalties), the Raiders severely limited playcalling kept Carr from threatening downfield and kept the Jets defense close the entire game.
While the Raiders should make the adjustments in the rushing game and the deep passing game against Houston next week, Oakland has to execute much better than they did on Sunday.