Carr: Raiders offensive slump ‘completely on us'

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ALAMEDA – The Raiders watched game film on Tuesday, honestly reviewing Sunday’s devastating loss to the Detroit Lions. It wasn’t quarterback Derek Carr’s first deep dive into the material.

He’s gone over the team’s third straight loss, one where the Raiders managed 13 points against one of the NFL’s worse scoring defenses. He has come to one clear conclusion.

“It really comes down to us,” Carr said. “That’s the big thing that came out of it for me. I went back and watched it. It’s just like, man, this is completely on us. That is a good thing, because now we know we can go fix it. You can put a finger on it and say, ‘OK, well I missed something there. I missed something there.’ And you can go out and fix it and correct it.”

That’s a far better that the alternatives, that the Raiders weren’t talented enough or couldn’t keep up. Greater, uncorrectable issues spell doom. Potential sapping execution problems are hurtful, though less permanent.

That isn’t just a semantic trick to keep an offense working. This unit has a productive track record, with three straight games exceeding 33 points and Top-10 rankings before Sunday’s debacle.

[BAIR: Del Rio: Raiders must 'keep the faith' after three-game losing streak]

The Raiders have a big offensive line and plenty of skill to support Carr’s offense. That group hasn’t done much the past six quarters, with one 13-point, third-quarter outburst watering this scoring drought.

Head coach Jack Del Rio was disappointed in the team’s third-down performance most of all. The Raiders worked some manageable third downs left unconverted due to execution errors or, worse yet, penalties and negative plays. The Raiders were 4-for-11 on third down, and just 1-of-5 during a first half without a scoring drive. They had just 47 offensive plays, a shockingly low total that eliminated chances to work the ball downfield.

Teams are starting to take away big play potential with deep, safe coverage – the Raiders had just two plays over 20 yards against Detroit – but that isn’t an excuse for failing to exploit such strategy. Worse yet, the Raiders had one yard of total offense in the fourth quarter, when they fell behind and couldn't recover. 

“You have to be able to move the chains, possess the ball and give yourself opportunities to run the plays,” Del Rio said. “When you’re running those plays and you have the chance to be explosive, get the passing game going, get the running game going, all kinds of things can happen. But if you’re going three-and-out or you’re not able to convert when you get it into third-and-very-manageable, that’s not going to lead to a real productive day.”

Del Rio emphasizes treating each game as its own, that carryover from experiences good and bad is difficult to assume. When it comes to the offense getting back on track, execution is more valuable than raw talent. Execution has been lacking the last two games, through the air and on the ground. Yardage totals are down, mistakes are up.

Carr is often Del Rio’s messenger, and his role as offensive leader is vital in times of trouble. The second-year pro never lets players see him sweat, and is trying to keep a level head while working the offense out of his slump. Pressing can be an issue in tough times.

"I don’t worry about it, but you’ve always got to keep an eye on,” Carr said. “You’ve got to make sure that we’re just doing our job. As long as I focus on doing my job, that involves being a leader and watching out for those things, but for the other guys, just go out and do your job to the best of your ability. If we just stay focused on that, we’ll get back to what we’ve been able to do (in the past).”

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