Oakland Raiders: Derek Carr, Amari Cooper Need To Finish

By Jonathan George | Oct 20, 2015

While the Oakland Raiders have shown a ton of improvement through the first 5 games this season, especially on offense, there are a few red flags that pop up when you look at the numbers overall for the team. Specifically, when you take a look at two of the offensive leaders on the team, quarterback Derek Carr and wide receiver Amari Cooper, there is one glaring reality that can help explain the teams struggles to win close games.

Carr and Cooper are not closing out games, as they are not performing in the 4th quarter.

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When you look at both of these players numbers for 2015, there is no doubt that they are having good seasons; Carr has thrown for over 1100 yards and has a fairly good TD to INT ratio of 8:3. He has also recorded an above average qb rating for the year so far, coming in at 93.9.

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Cooper is also playing well overall for the year, having already recorded 28 catches for close to 400 yards and 2 scores. He is well on his way to being the O.R.O.Y. selection for the Raiders, something that hasn’t happen since 1982 when Marcus Allen won it for the then Los Angeles Raiders.

While all of this is well and good, the fact is that games in the NFL often come down to 4th quarter performance, and both Carr and Cooper have yet to step up in this crucial time of the game.

Cooper’s statisitcs look far less impressive when you split them between quarters 1-3 and the 4th through the first 5 games. In quarters 1 through 3, he has 20 receptions for 321 yards and 2 touchdowns. In the 4th quarter, he has 8 catches for 65 yards with a fumble lost and no touchdowns.

An even bigger glaring difference might be his 1st half vs. 2nd half numbers. 1st half: 18 receptions for 311 yards, 2 TD’s. 2nd half: 10 receptions for 75 yards, 0 TD’s. (stats courtesy of ESPN.com).

While it true that he is a rookie and is still growing into his role as a number 1 receiver, the fact is that the team is relying on him to be a difference maker the entire game, not just the 1st half or 3 quarters. His talent level is off-the-charts good, and as it has only been 5 games there is no doubt these statistics will improve as time goes on. But will it be too late for 2015?

As for Carr, he gets less of a pass. Not only is he in his 2nd year as an NFL quarterback, but he has a lot more control than Cooper when it comes to where the ball goes late in games.

Carr’s late game performance is also a work in progress. Only 1 of his 8 TD passes have come in the 4th, albeit a great one to win the game against Baltimore. Out of all 4 quarters, his quarterback rating is the lowest in the last, as he has recorded a 69.5 with 2 of his 3 picks coming in the final 15 minutes.

If you look at his 1st half vs. 2nd half statistics as well, it is telling that he is a 111.4 rated passer in the 1st half but only a pedestrian 74.6 in the 2nd half (stats courtesy of ProFootballReference.com)

Again, it is early in the season and there is plenty of time to flip the script. But both Cooper and Carr need to step up their games when it matters most. 1st quarter TD bombs and big plays are nice, but they are no substitute for a 4th quarter game sealing one. AC/DC have come out fully charged early in games; the key is to stay that way throughout the contest.

With an extra week to scheme for division rival San Diego this Sunday, a team the Raiders have played fairly close as of late, it will be Carr and Cooper’s next chance to step it up late to close out the game with a win.

If not, they may be 2-4 and struggling to gain ground in the AFC West.

Next: Justin Tuck: Raider No More?

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