Raiders News: Jon Gruden & Derek Carr Embarrassed By Week 12 Loss To Falcons
Derek Carr
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The Las Vegas Raiders suffered their worst loss of the 2020 NFL season at the hands of the Atlanta Falcons in Week 12.

Although the Raiders simply could not get anything going in all facets of the game, their meltdown was highlighted by the abysmal performance under center from Derek Carr.

Carr completed 22 of 34 passes for 215 yards while committing four of the team’s five turnovers during the lopsided 43-6 loss to the Falcons. Running back Josh Jacobs accounted for the other one while mustering up just 44 total yards.

Such turnovers are highly uncharacteristic of teams led by head coach Jon Gruden. It appears even he was at a loss for words following the embarrassing loss.

There was certainly no shortage of areas where the Raiders went wrong. Gruden kicked things off with an apology to Raiders fans, via Kyle Martin of Raiders.com:

“I’d just like to apologize to Raider Nation and compliment the Falcons, they played one hell of a football game, and we didn’t not,” Gruden said postgame. “Turnovers, the penalties, it’s inexcusable and it’s a reflection of me. We’re a lot better team than that.”

Carr did not mince words regarding their performance in Week 12 but is choosing to put it behind him and look forward to next week’s game against the New York Jets:

“There’s one of two ways we could handle it: We could say aw crap and just keep giving into that or we could grit our teeth like our team will,” Derek Carr said postgame. “We have a team that kicked the crap out of us last year coming next. They beat the dog out of us last time, so we better get our minds right before we got on the flight for that game.”

While the Falcons certainly did all they could to ensure that they took care of business at home, the Raiders offered up little resistance on their end against what had been one of the worst defenses in the league. The apologies from both Gruden and Carr are indicative of the disappointment felt in the locker room.

Las Vegas overcame some major setbacks with injuries and coronavirus (COVID-19) during the first half of the 2020 campaign to put themselves in position for a Wild Card bid. This week was supposed to be the beginning of their easiest stretch of the season, however, their chances at a playoff spot have now taken a significant hit thanks to the recent struggles.

The Raiders still have good reason to be optimistic that they can bounce back against a winless Jets team in Week 13. Regardless, it remains to be seen if a potential 9-7 record will be enough to keep them in the playoff picture in the competitive AFC.

The onus will fall on Gruden and Carr to turn their fortunes around going into the final stretch. Unfortunately, performances like these at this point in the year are hardly an encouraging sign of a looming resurgence.