The Oakland Raiders may have come up short in their chance at an upset against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 13. Fortunately, Derek Carr is still taking an optimistic approach with the team’s performance moving forward.
The Raiders have struggled with consistency throughout the 2018 NFL season. According to Luke Straub of Raiders Wire, Carr feels they play much better when they do not worry about the consequences:
“When we have fun, we play better,” Carr said during his postgame press conference. “When we’re all uptight, worried about what Coach is going to say, getting cussed out or yelled at — nobody is going to play well doing that.
Carr’s comments come as no surprise. Head coach Jon Gruden is known for his fiery approach. There was speculation prior to the season that Carr would not be able to handle it. Although he has been able to match his competitive nature, it does not appear as though the rest of the team has.
Of course, it is easy to see why considering the state of the franchise. The Raiders parted ways with all of their Pro Bowl-caliber talent in exchange for future draft picks throughout the year. As a result, reports have surfaced about the growing tension in the locker room. Unlike Carr, the majority of the players on the roster do not have a long leash for mistakes. Any shortcomings could result in their departure from Oakland.
Fortunately, the Raiders have gotten to a point where they are playing with little consequences. Gruden will use the final stretch of the season to evaluate which players to keep around in the offseason. Regardless of how things play out, it is safe to assume that some major changes are on the way.
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