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The low point in the 2018 season — for the Raiders and Derek Carr — was a 27-3 loss to the Seattle Seahawks in London in which the quarterback was brutalized to the tune of six sacks and two forced fumbles. The sixth sacked knock Carr out of the game with a left arm injury.
The unkindest cut of all came after the game when a report surfaced that Carr was crying on the field after the knockout blow. He felt compelled to respond on social media. “Not one tear, not one time,” he wrote.
Thursday night, shortly after the Raiders beat the Los Angeles Chargers, 26-24, with a late touchdown drive, Carr choked up while talking to sideline reporter Erin Andrews, and fully acknowledged he was in an emotional state.
“I just love this team,” said Carr, who completed 21 of 31 pass attempts for 218 yards and a touchdown. But his contribution to the win was more tactical than statistical. Down 24-20 in the fourth quarter, he engineered a 10-play, 75-yard drive culminating in a Josh Jacobs 18-yard touchdown run.
“I love this organization so much,” Carr said. “I get emotional talking about it because I’ve been through so many highs and lows in this place. These fans have stuck with me the whole way and it’s a lot of fun to win in front of them.”
The fourth-quarter comeback was punctuated by a clinching interception off Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers. That certainly packed an emotional punch. So did the fact that the Raiders are down to their final four home games before they move to Las Vegas.
Bloodbath. Old school. Awesome.
Raiders vs. Chargers one final time in the Coliseum was everything it should be, and Derek Carr delivered when it mattered most (via @Schrock_And_Awe)https://t.co/8cowjecNng pic.twitter.com/xiBRzubpsZ
— Raiders on NBCS (@NBCSRaiders) November 8, 2019
“You look last week, (the Chargers) did the same to us as they did to the Packers,” Carr said. “That’s a top-5 defense in the league, and to go on a two-minute drive, win the game on a run play, I just love that for our offensive line.”
Andrews invoked the P-word: Playoffs.
We’ve got a lot of young guys,” Carr said, “so I just tell them to pump their brakes a little bit. This is my sixth year (with the Raiders). I’ve only been (to the playoffs) once and I didn’t get to play because I broke my ankle and so I tell them, ‘Let’s pump our brakes and just let’s do our job.’ That’s all we need to focus on right now, but it does feel good be in the hunt. We’re playing important games that matter, like tonight. That’s what you want in November.”
Listen to the man. He’s done a ton of growing these past six years.
And speaking of emotion:
Once again, the Raiders proved they are a tough team.
@BairNBCS hands out the team grades from the 26-24 win over the Chargers https://t.co/cRVqey4TlO pic.twitter.com/yyjInXUSmb
— Raiders on NBCS (@NBCSRaiders) November 8, 2019
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