Can Derek Carr Save The Raiders – And His Job?

• Derek Carr has had three consecutive seasons of 4000+ passing yards.
• Carr’s 2021 O/U is set at 4100.5 passing yards, with standard odds on both sides.
• The Raiders have a wins O/U of 7.0, which would be one win less than their eight in 2020.

LAS VEGAS - The Las Vegas Raiders haven’t made the playoffs since 2016, but they’ve stuck by the man that got them there last time, Derek Carr. However, 2021 is shaping up such that it could be the last year that Carr spends with the Raiders, despite a solid 2020 performance.

Entering the season, it seems like Carr is set to have to fight for his job, and the Raiders will need to perform well in order to win what could be a tough division.

Tashan Reed and Vic Tafur of The Athletic have reported that the team could move on from Carr if the playoffs are not reached.

The playoffs may be the goal, but they do not seem likely for a Las Vegas Raiders squad that has one of the lowest O/U lines for wins in the entire league.

In 2020, the Raiders finished second in the AFC West behind the Kansas City Chiefs, although they only had an 8-8 record. Entering 2021, the Los Angeles Chargers, who finished a game behind the Raiders, are expected to improve significantly as QB Justin Herbert enters the second year of his career.

The Raiders did have some clear upsides in 2020. They were the only team in the regular season to take a win off of the Kansas City Chiefs at full strength, Carr put up 4103 yards in the air, and TE Darren Waller established himself as a legit top TE in the league, proving that his 2019 season wasn’t a fluke.

Still, it’s hard to imagine much possible improvement out of Carr, whose O/U for passing yards is almost exactly what his total yards were in 2020.

It’s worth pointing out that Carr will have an extra game to get to this total, and in both 2018 and 2019 he reached above 4000 yards in 16 games. As every NFL betting fan knows, a team’s future is tied to their quarterback, and the Raiders are no exception.

Carr seems on track to have another good year - but the Raiders need more than just another decent year from Carr. The Raiders need a career year.