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Rare mistakes by Carr prove costly for Raiders
ALAMEDA, Calif. — Oakland Raiders rookie quarterback Derek Carr has told the media all season to put everything on his shoulders.
In a 30-24 loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, it could be argued for the first time that a defeat was indeed largely because of his mistakes.
Carr had a pass intercepted and returned 35 yards for a touchdown by linebacker Bruce Irvin, then later forced a pass to Andre Holmes as he was blanketed by Richard Sherman. That resulted in a 22-yard return and a field goal by Steven Hauschka.
The two plays put the Raiders in 24-3 hole at halftime. When the Raiders climbed back into the game, it was mostly because of a special-teams touchdown and a short-field score set up by a punt return.
Carr got the Raiders into the red zone only twice — on the 30-yard drive set up by the punt return and on a late 64-yard drive with the Raiders already trailing 30-17.
“I will do anything to win a game, and in the first half I was doing too much,” Carr said. “In the second half, I said, ‘You know what? I am just going to do my job and I’ve got to trust everyone to do their job.'”
Yet when it came to the two interceptions, Carr didn’t sound as if he would do anything differently, giving Irvin and Sherman credit rather than conceding perhaps he should have thrown the ball elsewhere.
Free safety Charles Woodson chalked it up as a learning experience for Carr but wondered about the wisdom of forcing the ball Sherman’s way.
“That’s something Derek will have to learn from,” Woodson said. “You have to pick and choose when you go at a player like Richard. Maybe he should have went somewhere else or thrown a different type of ball. Those are things he will continue to get better at as he continues to grow as a player in this league.”
Coach Tony Sparano was hesitant to criticize Carr too much for the interceptions. He wrote one off to poor location, the other to a poor decision.
“I’m sure Derek would tell you he wishes he could have a couple of those plays back,” Sparano said. “I don’t ever want him to lose his aggressiveness, so I would never say never about making a throw.”
Sparano liked the fact that after struggling in first half in a difficult environment, Carr eventually helped put the Raiders back in the game.
“I’ve seen that go the other way, and badly, with young quarterbacks,” Sparano said. “That was a good sign.”
NOTES: OG Gabe Jackson did not finish the game after leaving with an undisclosed injury. His status is not known for this week’s game against Denver. … TE Mychal Rivera caught eight passes for 38 yards and had a pair of 1-yard touchdown receptions. … LB Sio Moore led the Raiders with 11 tackles, a sack, a tackle for loss and a quarterback hit.
REPORT CARD VS. SEAHAWKS
–PASSING OFFENSE: D — Two big interceptions by Derek Carr in the first half led to 10 points for the Seahawks and played into a 24-3 hole the Raiders could never climb out of. Carr was 24 of 41 for 194 yards and got the Raiders in the red zone only twice. The longest pass play — 23 yards — was to Darren McFadden. Wide receivers were not a factor. Mychal Rivera made nice plays on a pair of 1-yard touchdown passes.
–RUSHING OFFENSE: F — The Seahawks may as well have been forged of steel. McFadden carried 13 times and got 20 yards. Maurice Jones Drew? Two carries, minus-2 yards. Sparano conceded that particularly in the first half, his offensive line simply was beaten up front. The Raiders had only two rushing first downs.
–PASS DEFENSE: B — Quarterbacks had been smooth operators all season against the Raiders until Sunday. Russell Wilson was 17 of 35 for 179 yards and a 6.39 passer rating. The mix of rush and coverage was excellent. Marshawn Lynch did more damage than any Seattle wide receiver, catching all five passes thrown his way for 76 yards.
–RUSH DEFENSE: C-plus — The Seahawks averaged 3.9 yards per carry (149 yards, 38 attempts) so they had to work for what they got, Lynch in particular. Lynch carried 21 times for 67 yards and had touchdowns of 3 and 5 yards. Robert Turbin had 35 yards on seven carries spelling Lynch, Wilson had 31 yards on eight carries and Christine Michael 16 yards on four attempts.
–SPECIAL TEAMS: B — Denico Autry’s blocked punt set up a touchdown for Brice Butler when the Raiders trailed 24-3, getting them back in the game. TJ Carrie had a 27-yard punt return to set up the touchdown that made it 24-17. Marquette King had a 46.2 net and put three punts inside the 20-yard line. Carrie also had a career-long 42-yard kickoff return and Denarius Moore a 23-yard punt return. Carrie lost a kickoff return on a fumble but the Seahawks failed to convert the mistake into points. Sebastian Janikowski missed a 51-yard field goal attempt.
–COACHING: C — Offensive coordinator Greg Olson is taking considerable heat from the fan base, but the Raiders couldn’t abandon the run without subjecting Carr to a beating. Defensive coordinator Jason Tarver had the defense playing well. The Raiders have been emotionally ready to play under Sparano, but the execution has not been as good.
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