Young QBs make difference for Raiders, Titans
NASHVILLE — The Oakland Raiders are showing how quickly a young quarterback can help turn a team around with Derek Carr taking charge in his second season. The Tennessee Titans believe they have just such a quarterback in rookie Marcus Mariota.
Now each team needs its quarterback to help snap a skid as the Titans host the Raiders today.
The Raiders (4-6) have lost three straight games to drop them to third in the AFC West standings, and they need their offense cranked back up to stay in the race for the playoffs. They’ve struggled the past couple weeks and are making their second of back-to-back road trips after an 18-13 loss at Detroit last week.
“We’re looking to get back on track,” Oakland coach Jack Del Rio said. “We have a lot of playmakers, we have a line that’s been doing a good job protecting players, and Derek has been the guy who is leading the way. He’s been accurate throwing the ball, he’s a good decision-maker, and we just really want to get ourselves going again.
Carr, the 36th overall draft pick last year out of Fresno State, already has five 300-yard passing games this season. He has thrown for 21 touchdowns with only six interceptions, and he ranks seventh in the NFL with a 99.4 passer rating.
“You don’t see him get rattled, Carr, at all for his age or his experience,” Titans interim coach Mike Mularkey said. The Titans (2-8) have lost two straight and had a 10-day break after a 19-13 loss last week at Jacksonville. They also have dropped 10 straight at home. Mariota has yet to win at Nissan Stadium even though he leads all NFL rookies with a 96.1 passer rating that ranks 12th in the NFL. Mariota also is completing 65.3 percent of his passes, a mark that would put him third all-time among rookie quarterbacks behind Ben Roethlisberger and Robert Griffin III.
Mariota ran for his first touchdown this season in the loss to the Jaguars. Mariota’s 23-yard score was his longest run yet and a sign the left knee he sprained in October is feeling better. The Raiders, who are allowing an average of 114.7 rushing yards per game, allowed Detroit quarterback Matthew Stafford to run for 31 yards and a touchdown last week.
Carr thinks Mariota’s done a great job so far.
“I went through what he’s going through right now last year,” Carr said. “A lot of highs, a lot of lows, that’s going to happen, but he seems like a great person. He knows how to go in and fix the mistakes that he makes, and as long as he continues to do that — which from what I hear, I know that he will — he’s going to be a great player in this league.”
The Titans have struggled at times to protect Mariota, but the Raiders have allowed Carr to be sacked only 11 times and have given up just 13 overall. They will be tested by a Titans defense that has 31 sacks and ranks first in the NFL in sacks per pass play. Titans linebacker Brian Orakpo has seven sacks, including at least one in each of the past four games.
Carr has also benefited from the play of former University of Alabama wide receiver Amari Cooper, who has had a stellar rookie season with 51 catches for 736 yards and four touchdowns.
His one problem has been a propensity to drop passes. Cooper’s 10 drops are the second-most in the league, according to Pro Football Focus.
Finishing is crucial for both teams, because Tennessee and Oakland have had problems in the fourth quarter. The Titans have been outscored by a leagueworst 62 points in the fourth quarter, and the Raiders rank 31st with a negative-52 differential.