Carr, Raiders in high gear
LAS VEGAS — Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr found inactive tight end Darren Waller on the sideline during Sunday’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles to let him know “how weird” it was not having his top target on the field.
“I joked around, ‘That’s 20 targets I gotta disburse to some other targets now,’ ” Carr told Waller. No problem. Carr threw for 323 yards, completing 31 of 34 pass attempts with one touchdown as the Raiders defeated the Eagles 33-22.
Carr’s 91.1% completion percentage was a career best and the second-best single-game percentage in NFL history behind Drew Brees (96.7%), on a minimum of 30 attempts.
“We can all see the relationship that him and [offensive coordinator] Greg Olson have running this offense, it’s just really coming to fruition,” Raiders interim coach Rich Bisaccia said. “Off the field, Derek is the voice of the Raiders right now. The players always want to listen to him. He’s a tremendous leader both on and off the field.”
The Raiders (5-2) outgained Philadelphia 443-358 in a dominating performance in which Las Vegas scored on five straight possessions after its first series ended with Carr being intercepted inside the Eagles’ fiveyard line.
It was Las Vegas’ second straight win with Olson calling the offensive plays since former coach Jon Gruden resigned Oct. 11 because of offensive emails he sent before being hired in 2018.
Under Bisaccia, the Raiders have outscored Denver and Philadelphia 67-46 collectively, and outgained both 869-779.
The Eagles (2-5) lost their second straight and for the fifth time in six games.
Joining Waller on the sideline, after running for 29 yards in six attempts including one touchdown, was running back Josh Jacobs, who suffered a chest injury.
Stepping up in the Pro Bowl picks’ places were tight end Foster Moreau, who had a career-high six receptions for 60 yards, and running back Kenyan Drake, who rushed for 69 yards in 14 attempts, including one touchdown.
“Our team responded to the challenge of not having Darren and certainly Foster stepped up and played really well,” Bisaccia said.