Derek Carr and the Las Vegas Raiders are battling for their playoff lives at home against the New England Patriots on Sunday.
At least initially, it seemed as if things were going swimmingly for Vegas. The team held a 17-3 lead at halftime after a Carr touchdown pass to Mack Hollins late in the second quarter.
Unfortunately, the bad Derek Carr showed up early in the third quarter. That included throwing an absolutely terrible pick-six into the hands of safety Kyle Dugger on a pass intended for Davante Adams.
A quarterback that’s in his ninth season in the NFL simply can’t make a mistake like that if he wants to give his team a chance to win on a consistent basis. Unfortunately, this has been the case more often than not during what has been a disastrous season for the three-time Pro Bowler.
- Derek Carr stats (2022): 62% completion, 3,245 yards, 22 TD, 11 INT
From a team-wide perspective, Vegas has blown four games in which it held a double-digit halftime lead heading into Week 15’s outing against the Patriots.
The hope here is that history doesn’t repeat itself. The Raiders find themselves at 5-8 on the season and holding out hope of a potential playoff run. A loss to New England would pretty much end those aspirations.