After a promising start that saw them atop the AFC West, the Las Vegas Raiders have been on a downhill slide that now sees them on the outside of the AFC playoff picture. The Raiders dropped their third straight game on Sunday, falling to the Cincinnati Bengals 32-13 as the Derek Carr-led offense again failed to crack the 20-point mark.
The offensive issues reared their heads early and often in this contest. An early gift from the defense gave the Raiders the ball inside the Bengals’ 10-yard line, but they settled for a field goal. Additionally, the team failed to convert its first six third-down opportunities and sealed their loss with back-to-back turnovers late in the fourth quarter.
As is to be expected, the frustration after another tough loss is beginning to build up, and Carr let loose after the game via Austin Boyd of Heavy.com:
“I’ve been a Raider fan for a long time and 20 years of this crap is enough. I’m fed up.” Carr said. “No one is coming to save us, so we better figure it out.”
This is Carr’s eighth season with the Raiders, and with just one year remaining on his contract, questions are surrounding how much time he has remaining with the franchise. Carr has certainly had his moments over the years with the Raiders, but with the team now staring down a fifth consecutive season without the playoffs, and Carr’s play during this losing streak, not the most inspiring, it is normal to wonder whether the clock could be ticking.
But if Carr himself has anything to say about it, he will be in the silver and black to turn things around and bring the franchise back to greatness:
“I just want to be part of the moment it changes,” Carr said. “I want that so bad. That’s what keeps driving me. I get pissed off and upset and stand up here, and I’ve done this way too many times … It shouldn’t always end like this crap.”
Carr’s passion and desire to turn things around for the Raiders is undeniable, and he is clearly the leader of this team and wants to remain that moving forward. The team’s play earlier in the season shows that the team isn’t far off, but it will be up to Carr to lead the way and get the Raiders back on the right track. Their Thanksgiving showdown with the Dallas Cowboys is the perfect platform to get that started.
