Are the Las Vegas Raiders the new Clutch City?
Derek Carr and the Las Vegas Raiders’ late-game heroics have gone from pleasant surprise to the expectation in the clutch.
Patience is a virtue. If you’re a Las Vegas Raiders fan, you know what patience is. Whether it’s waiting for the team’s potential to catch up to its talent or waiting for a comeback win that Derek Carr and the Raiders have become accustomed to as of late.
The Raiders have overcome 14-point deficits in two games so far this season en route to their 3-0 start to the 2021 season. First in Week 1 and, most recently, an overtime win in Week 3 against the Miami Dolphins.
In previous seasons, the “clutch” gene was only seen on the offensive side of the ball. Last season, Carr set an NFL record for having the most comeback victories (20) in a player’s first seven seasons. While Carr’s continued to add to that number, the defense has played an important role this season as well.
Despite opponents seeing 12 more plays in the second half of games compared to the first half, the Raiders defense has clamped down. Opponent yards per carry average drops from 5.3 to 4.1 in the final two quarters and Las Vegas is giving up one less first down on the ground (8 to 7) as well.
They’ve also played much better against the pass (especially compared to previous years). On 13 more pass attempts for opponents in the second half, the Raiders are giving up a lower completion percentage, yards per attempt, and fewer first downs than in the first half of games.
The Raiders offense, of course, has continued its clutch ways. Despite having 12 fewer plays in the second half of games, the offense has performed much better. They’re averaging one yard less on three few attempts in the ground game in the second half compared to the first. On top of that, the Raiders have one more rushing touchdown and three more first downs on the ground in the second half this season.
That has extended to the passing game was well. Carr’s completion rate has increased from 58.5 percent in the first half to 74.1 percent in the second. That’s happening while he’s also substantially increasing his yards per attempt from 6.7 to 10.1. He’s also posted an impressive 128.7 passer rating in the second half thus far.
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The Las Vegas Raiders have been a team of two halves this season on both sides of the ball. Slow starts are fine when the team is able to clamp down during crunch time and that’s exactly what they’ve been able to do. Starting the season 3-0 isn’t due to luck. The team being able to stay composed has paid off and led to a new theme around the team this season.