Oakland Raiders: 5 Reasons Derek Carr Should Win MVP
October 16, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr (4) celebrates after a touchdown against the Kansas City Chiefs during the first quarter at Oakland Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Through eight weeks, Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr is your NFL MVP.
At 25 years old, Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr is playing the best football of his life. Yes, he did throw for 12,843 yards and 113 touchdowns throughout his four years at Fresno State, but even that doesn’t compare to the level he has achieved so far through 2016.
When you think of the modern day Raiders, winning doesn’t come to mind. Instead, draft busts, undisciplined football, and tons of losses do. The last time the Raiders had a winning season was back in 2002, when they went 11-5.
Luckily for the Raider Nation, they selected Carr with the 36th-overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft. At the time, many did not believe that pick would be so significant. But in 2016, that pick is becoming one of the best selections in Raiders history.
Sitting at 6-2, the Raiders are currently first in their division the AFC West, which holds the 2015 Super Bowl champions. Many felt the Denver Broncos would once again win the division (though I predicted the Raiders would unseat the Broncos before the year started). If the Raiders were going to challenge, though, Carr was going to be the catalyst.
Carr has ignited the Raiders and made them legitimate contenders in the AFC, not just the AFC West. His elite play this season has some asking the big question, “Could Derek Carr win MVP?” If he keeps this level of play up and the Raiders win the AFC West, Derek Carr is your 2016 NFL MVP.
Here are five reasons why he should win MVP if you still aren’t buying in.
Oct 9, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr (4) reacts after throwing a touchdown pass against the San Diego Chargers in the third quarter at Oakland Coliseum. The Raiders defeated the Chargers 34-31. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
5. Clutch
When the game is on the line, Derek Carr is showing he is a player you can count on. Through just the eight games in 2016, Carr has three game-winning drives. Those three have him third in the NFL, just one behind the leaders, Matthew Stafford and Eli Manning.
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In Week 1, the Raiders were down seven when Carr took the ball late in the fourth. He drove his team down the field and then found wide receiver Seth Roberts in the end zone to get within an extra point from tying the game. However, the Raiders and their head coach Jack Del Rio had faith in their quarterback, so they went for a two-point conversion to win the game. Carr delivered a perfectly place ball to wide receiver Michael Crabtree and the Raiders walked away 1-0.
The Raiders were up 21-12 with 11 minutes left in the fourth quarter of their Week 4 game against the Baltimore Ravens. The Ravens fought hard in the fourth and actually took the lead 27-21. But once again, Carr drove his team down the field and threw another game-winning touchdown pass. This time, it was a 23-yard strike to Crabtree to secure a 28-27 victory. The Ravens were 3-0 entering the game, so Carr handed them their first loss of the season.
His third game-winning drive was his best. Before he even won the game, the Raiders needed to score late in the fourth quarter just to tie the game. With 1:38 left in the game and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers leading 24-17, Carr found his tight end Mychal Rivera to tie the game. It sent the game to overtime and Carr brought his magic once again. Late in the overtime, with a tie looming, Carr found Roberts across the middle for a game-winning, walk-off touchdown pass.
Carr is becoming known for leading his team back and winning the game this season in the clutch. That is a big part of why he should win MVP.
Oct 30, 2016; Tampa, FL, USA; Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr (4) runs out of the pocket during the second half against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium. Oakland Raiders defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 30-24 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
4. Carr Doesn’t Commit Turnovers
One of the easiest ways to become a bust at the quarterback position is to turn the ball over all the time. For example, former first-overall pick and arguably the biggest bust in Raiders history, JaMarcus Russell, started 25 games for the Raiders and threw 23 interceptions. Making it worse, Russell also fumbled 25 times in those 25 starts.
Luckily for Raiders fans, Carr is the exact opposite. He takes care of the football and does his job the right way. In 2016, Carr has only thrown three interceptions through eight games. That puts him on pace for six interceptions for the entire season. It would be rare if he kept that up because he currently has attempted the most passes out of any quarterback in the NFL. That means, even though he throws more passes, his ability to not turn the ball over is elite.
23 starting quarterbacks have thrown more interceptions than Carr this year, highlighting the impressive job he has done with the football. His interception rate currently sits at 0.9 percent, putting him sixth in the NFL for current starting quarterbacks.
Carr has lost two fumbles this year, giving him five total turnovers though eight games. But again, that would put him on pace for a minuscule 10 total turnovers on the season. I think the Raiders and their fans would be okay if Carr only turns the ball over 10 times in all of 2016.
His ability to take care of the football at a high level is another reason he should win MVP. It isn’t like he is managing the game and not turning the ball over, he is aggressive with the football and just being smart with it at the same time. That’s a deadly and praiseworthy combination.
Oct 30, 2016; Tampa, FL, USA; Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr (4) drops back against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the second half at Raymond James Stadium. Oakland Raiders defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 30-24 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
3. Accuracy and Efficiency
When you have such low turnover numbers, that obviously means you are accurate and efficient. That perfectly describes Carr so far through eight weeks of the NFL season.
His touchdown-to-nterception ratio is currently second best in the NFL at 5.67. A stat like that doesn’t happen on its own; it happens because you are playing efficient football. Going further into the numbers, Carr has completed 66.3 percent of his passes. That number could be even better. But, according to SportingCharts.com, the Raiders as a team have dropped 15 passes, putting them at seventh in the NFL for most dropped balls.
Carr doesn’t let that get to him, though, and he just keeps putting the ball on the money. He is currently the fifth-ranked quarterback in the NFL with his 100.9 quarterback rating. Two of the quarterbacks ahead of him are first ballot Hall-of-Fame players, Tom Brady and Drew Brees, highlighting Carr’s elite season.
If you don’t want to take my word for it, that is fine. Pro Football Focus, who is regarded as one of the best resources to see how players are doing in a season, has Carr graded out as the No. 4 quarterback through eight weeks. To make that better, he is also the fourth-highest graded quarterback when you just go off of passing.
Oct 23, 2016; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr (4) reacts after a touchdown in the second half against the Jacksonville Jaguars at EverBank Field. Oakland Raiders won 33-16. Mandatory Credit: Logan Bowles-USA TODAY Sports
2. Statistical Pace
If you are going to win MVP, you better be putting up numbers, and Carr is. Through eight weeks, he has thrown for 2,321 yards. Those 2,321 yards have him ranked fifth in the NFL. He is averaging 290.1 yards per game, which is seventh best in the league. In his first two seasons, Carr threw for 3,270 and 3,987 yards, respectively. He has progressed each season and is currently on pace to smash his career high in passing yards with 4,642.
It hasn’t just been about the yards, though. He has been getting his team into the end zone at a high rate. Oakland is currently sixth in the NFL with their 26.9 points per game. The big reason for this success on offense comes from Carr’s 17 touchdown passes. Those 17 scores are good enough for third best in the NFL. His career high for touchdown passes in a season is 32, but Carr is currently on pace for a career-high 34.
You could argue he has so many touchdowns because of the volume of pass attempts, but his touchdown percentage this season is 5.3, which is ninth best in the league. Everywhere you look, Carr has been solid statistically. In his last game, which was a game-winning drive game, Carr ended the day with 513 yards and four touchdowns. These numbers are a big part of him being the league MVP, but not the biggest.
Oct 30, 2016; Tampa, FL, USA; Oakland Raiders wide receiver Amari Cooper (89) and quarterback Derek Carr (4) congratulate each other after they scored a touchdown against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the second half at Raymond James Stadium. Oakland Raiders defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 30-24 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
1. Raiders Will Go as Far as Carr Takes Them
The biggest part of winning MVP comes from the title of the award itself: Most Valuable Player.
Yeah, big-time stats are great and lighting up the scoreboard is fun, but does that mean you’re the most valuable player on your team? Simply, no. Carr may not lead the NFL with touchdown passes or lead the NFL in passing yards, but what he does lead the NFL in is wins.
At 6-2, Carr has his Raiders in first place in the AFC West. More importantly, he has his team second in the entire AFC. That would give them a first round bye and home-field advantage until they would face the current No. 1 team in the AFC, the New England Patriots.
As former head coach and general manager of the Raiders, the late Al Davis once said, “Just win, Baby.” That is exactly what Carr has been doing. For the first couple of weeks, his team’s defense was playing poorly, but he was answering the bell and delivering. Oakland’s defense is giving up 25.4 points per game, 24th in the NFL, which highlights what Carr has been able to do.
Having Amari Cooper and Crabtree obviously helps, but Carr is able to spread the ball around at an elite level. It’s always good to have a go-to-guy. However, Carr has been able to keep defense guessing the entire game.
The Raiders are in tops in their division and it’s because of how valuable Carr has been. He is what makes this ship go and this team will go as far as he takes them. Yes, it has only been eight weeks into the NFL season, but if Carr keeps this up, he should win MVP.
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