Raiders quarterback Derek Carr threw his eighth interception of the 2018 season on Sunday when he tried to hit tight end Derek Carrier in the end zone.
The Raiders had a first down on the Chargers’ 1-yard-line, but were left with no points when Chargers defensive end Melvin Ingram picked off the pass. Carrier was not the first option on the play and Raiders coach Jon Gruden said after the game that Carr “shouldn’t have made that throw down there” when the top option wasn’t available.
It was reminiscent of an interception Carr threw on a first down near the end zone in Oakland’s loss to the Dolphins earlier this year and Gruden said at the time that Carr was sometimes trying too hard. He said something similar after this interception, Carr’s fifth on a first down play, as well.
“He’s just trying, he’s just trying so hard,” Gruden said, via Jimmy Durkin of The Athletic. “I think he just presses at some moments and he knows we have to do a lot with the ball when we have it and I think that’s what happened today.”
Carr agreed with Gruden and said he’s “always just tried to just do too much” as a quarterback. For now, that instinct appears to be doing more harm than good for the 1-4 Raiders.
