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ALAMEDA, Calif. -- It's a hard fact of life that if the Oakland Raiders want to know why they are 5-7 and on the outside looking in when it comes to the playoff race, they need examine only the fourth-quarter performance of quarterback Derek Carr. Well, mostly.
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Carr has had a promising second season, completing 63.6 percent of his passes (271 for 426) for 3,178 yards, 26 touchdowns and nine interceptions for a passer rating of 97.7, just behind No. 6 Ben Roethlisberger and a spot ahead of No. 8 Aaron Rodgers.
That's pretty heady company, but where Carr shows his youth is late in the game. Of Carr's nine interceptions, seven were in the fourth quarter and six of those came when the Raiders were within six points of the lead.
The figure was inflated in a 34-20 loss to Kansas City when Carr threw three interceptions in the fourth quarter. Two set up touchdowns, and a 38-yard pick was returned by Tyvon Branch to finish off the scoring.
In games when the Raiders are within seven points in the fourth quarter, his passer rating is a poor 55.6.
"A lot of NFL games are decided in the fourth quarter, so we need to be at our best and that's everybody," coach Jack Del Rio said. "You're pointing out something I'm aware of. That obviously is something we're going to have to improve as we go forward."
Carr, who has spread out his receptions and touchdowns to a number of receivers, isn't fond of spreading out the misery as well.
"Do I lay awake thinking about it?" Carr said. "Absolutely. It's not for selfish reasons. I just feel the hurt of my team. That's what hurts me. It's not that I feel sad or anything like that. I could care less how I feel. I just don't like other people feeling that way."
While late interceptions are unacceptable, all three interceptions against the Chiefs came with an element of bad luck, the first with the Raiders ahead 20-13.
On the first one, Carr was under siege and should have taken a sack. Instead he struggled to remain upright, threw as he was being hit by Dee Ford and the ball traveled directly to Josh Mauga. Mauga returned it 66 yards to set up a touchdown.
On the second, Carr threw to Michael Crabtree on a crossing route just as Crabtree was tripping over the feet of a defender. The all went directly to Marcus Peters. Peters ran it 55 yards to set up a touchdown.
Finally, Carr threw a fastball up the seam toward Amari Cooper while trailing 26-20. Cooper made a dive for the ball, which hit him in both hands, and Branch caught the deflection on a dive of his own, then got up and ran 38 yards for a touchdown.
"The one that sticks out to me is the first one," Carr said. "The other two are like the most unfortunate things that could happen. The first one is me learning I don't have to make every play. I don't have to try and do everything. I hurt me team when I tried to do that. It will be instilled in my mind for a long time."
Carr has also had plays where he has gambled and won. He threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Crabtree into the teeth of double coverage by Eric Berry and Sean Smith. He has at times under pressure pitched the ball forward to a receiver with his left hand to avoid a negative play.
"It's such a fine line. When it works, we're all like, 'That's awesome,' and when it doesn't, when I get hurt or turn the ball over, we're upset at it," Carr said. "I'm really just trying to control that and learn the situation when it's OK to do certain things."
SERIES HISTORY: 111th meeting, Raiders lead all-time series 59-49-2, but Broncos have won the last eight in succession dating back to a 23-20 Oakland win in the 2011 regular-season opener. In the first meeting this season in Oakland, Denver won 16-10, the lowest point total by the Broncos since losing to the Raiders 59-14 in 2010. Unfortunately, the Raiders had their lowest point total of the season in the earlier meeting with Denver. The big play for Denver was a 74-yard interception return for a touchdown in the fourth quarter by Chris Harris.
GAME PLAN: Given that the Broncos are fifth against the run and first against the pass, there is little the Raiders can do other than challenge the Denver passing defense and hope for the best. The Raiders simply aren't running consistently enough at this point to rely on anything else. Perhaps in the second meeting of the season offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave can come up with a few wrinkles to attack a defense that doesn't appear to have a weakness. One weapon of late has been rookie tight end Clive Walford. Defensively, the Raiders acquitted themselves well in the first meeting, surrendering only nine points with seven more coming from Denver's defense on an interception return. The challenge this time is Denver, with Brock Osweiler at quarterback, will run more zone stretch plays.
MATCHUPS TO WATCH:
--Raiders cornerback David Amerson vs. Broncos wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders.
Amerson will be making his third start after replacing D.J. Hayden in the lineup and is easily the Raiders' best cover corner. He has long arms, can play off or play press coverage and seems to have rectified whatever issues he had in Washington when he was beaten repeatedly for touchdowns. Sanders may be the No. 2 option for Denver behind Demaryius Thomas, but he torched the Raiders for nine receptions and 111 yards in the first meeting.
--Broncos cornerback Aqib Talib vs. Raiders wide receiver Amari Cooper.
Whenever Cooper gets off to a slow start in a game, the Raiders come back in the following contest eager to get him the ball and throw to him often in the first quarter to establish a rhythm. Cooper was a non-factor until the second half against Kansas City so offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave figures to dial him up frequently early in the game. Talib, one of the NFL's top cover corners, understands this and the potential is there to jump a route.
