Raiders quarterback Derek Carr said at the start of the regular season that he was tired of talk about whether he was the right man for his job and just wanted to “go out and play football and not care about the other stuff.”
That’s gone well for him thus far. The Raiders are 6-3 and riding a three-game winning streak into this Sunday’s attempt to sweep their season series with the Chiefs.
Carr’s numbers haven’t been eye-popping during the recent streak -- 44-for-72 for 430 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions -- but he had bigger individual days earlier in the year and the overall package has pleased head coach Jon Gruden.
“He’s all business,” Gruden said, via Anthony Galaviz of the Fresno Bee. “He’s on a mission right now to prove that he can be one of the top, if not the best, in football. That’s what he’s after. . . . I think he’s on a mission to deliver his leadership, his play-making and his day-to-day consistency to this team. If you could see him here every day in these circumstances, you’d all be impressed with what he represents. I couldn’t be happier having him as my quarterback.”
Carr is posting the best passer rating of his career and continuing on the same path for the rest of the season should make the conversations about his fit for the Raiders a bit more pleasant to listen to in the future.