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With a Las Vegas Raiders Week 1 game scheduled against the Chargers, many fans will dissect how Derek Carr fares in his QB clash against Justin Herbert. Carr has always been serviceable, but can he be spectacular against a high-octane Chargers team? Ahead of this Raiders-Chargers game, we’ll be making our Derek Carr Week 1 bold predictions.
First thing's first — Derek Carr is a solid franchise quarterback. No, he's not just “okay” or “not bad.” He's actually pretty good. Remember that in 2021, Carr had a career-high 4,804 yards and 428 completions. He led the Raiders to double-digit wins, too.
He's also mobile and has a quick release. Carr is a stickler for the playbook, too. He knows it in and out, but on the flip side, that could also be his biggest weakness. Carr has great mastery of design plays, but his ability to be creative or to improvise when under duress has not been his strong suit.
Raiders fans are hoping that will change now that the team has a new head coach in Josh McDaniels and a first-year offensive coordinator in Mick Lombardi for 2022. This opener against the Chargers will be a good test of just how creative Carr can be this coming season.
Derek Carr will be the second-most watched QB in this game, but that doesn't mean his game won't matter. As good as Herbert is, Carr can also hack it. If Carr catches fire, the Raiders have a chance. Having said that, let's now look at our Derek Carr Week 1 bold predictions.
It's Week 1!
The Raiders open the season this Sunday against LA
QB Battle – 2021 Stats
Derek Carr: 10-7 Record, 23 TDs, 14 INTs, 4804 Yards, 68.4 Comp%
Justin Herbert: 9-8 Record, 38 TDs, 15 INTs, 5014 Yards, 65.9 Comp%
Who wins the first AFC West Matchup? pic.twitter.com/bmAVJY57yB
— RaiderRamble.com™ (@TheRaiderRamble) September 5, 2022
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3. Derek Carr throws a TD to Davante Adams
The Derek Carr-to-Davante Adams era begins in Las Vegas. Is it gonna be as good as it should be, or is it going to fizzle out? We'll see.
One of the best CBs in the league will be lining up opposite Adams, though. That's J.C. Jackson, who just came over from the Patriots. In 2021, he recorded eight INTs. Carr and Adams better watch out.
It's worth noting, though, that Adams has proven to be tough in even the most difficult matchups. Last year, he defeated Jalen Ramsey and the Rams in Week 12. On nine targets in that contest, he finished with eight catches for 104 yards.
Carr, meanwhile, threw a total of four touchdowns against the Chargers over two games last season. With Adams now in town, expect this connection to produce at least one TD in this game.
2. Derek Carr gets sacked 3 times
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Derek Carr will most certainly be put under pressure frequently in this game. In the 2021 Week 18 battle against the Chargers, he was sacked thrice and hit three more times. To compound things, the Chargers have also now signed Khalil Mack.
On the flip side, the Raiders did an excellent job collecting weapons for Carr this offseason. They all will be on full show on Sunday. The aforementioned Adams is largely considered the top wideout in the NFL, and Hunter Renfrow is as good as a No. 2 wideout at this level as you can get.
The Raiders will need a solid offensive line to make it all work, though. The o-line is the greatest question mark on this team. Additionally, they have a difficult assignment in Week 1 with the Chargers bringing in Mack to support Joey Bosa in the pass rush.
Bosa has been an old nemesis of Carr. In fact, Bosa has sacked Carr eight times in his career. Mack, meanwhile, will play the Raiders for the second consecutive season, having recorded eight total tackles and a sack in the Bears' 20-9 victory over the Silver and Black in 2021.
Carr better get ready to be hit hard and often in this game.
1. Derek Carr loses battle to Justin Herbert
After their Week 18 showdown last season, which kept the Chargers out of the playoffs, these signal-callers have some interesting history.
Given their passing tendencies, we should also expect a lot of yards in this matchup between Derek Carr and Justin Herbert. Last season, both finished in the top five in passing yards, while Carr ranked just slightly lower in QBR. With the Raiders bringing in an offensive-minded head coach in McDaniels as well as Adams, this should be an entertaining and high-scoring battle.
Having said that, Raiders fans may not be happy to know that Justin Herbert loves shootouts, and he's pretty good at winning them, too. If this matchup does become a high-scoring affair, then the edge should be with Herbert and his Chargers.
Carr should still put up good numbers, but it won't be good enough to match Herbert's. It also won't be good enough to win.
