Despite Loss, Derek Carr Gives Raiders Nation Much-Needed Reason for Hope

Though the Oakland Raiders gave up 10 points to the San Diego Chargers in the final five minutes of the game on Sunday, there were multiple points of optimism to look forward to for Oakland, which has lost 11 consecutive games. 

The positive impact interim head coach Tony Sparano has had on this squad in just one week is obvious, and the emergence of a run game finally being used to its full potential was long overdue.

But getting quarterback Derek Carr back in the lineup after he sustained a high ankle sprain and an MCL sprain against the Miami Dolphins in Week 4 was the biggest reason for hope for an offense that has gotten off to a sputtering start to the season. 

Carr had the best game of his rookie season Sunday, throwing for a career-high 282 yards and four touchdowns, which were spread out over four quarters.

Oakland's fourth-quarter comeback attempt was cut short with an interception by Jason Verrett, but the takeaway on the day was the rookie's ability to lead a high-octane attack against San Diego's vaunted pass defense, which was No. 4 in the NFL heading into Sunday's game. 

The Chargers defense was the best in the league in points allowed, with just 12.6, and Carr carved them up for double that. 

Bleacher Report's Matt Miller was impressed with Carr's mechanics, which have been steadily improving this season, and reported on Friday that Oakland owner Mark Davis wants to build around Carr. Carr is making that future look brighter as the season goes on, a long-term end game for a team that, in the short term of the 2014 season, needs to keep in mind. 

Carr has benefited immediately from the departure of Dennis Allen and from Sparano's offensive mindset. The Raiders offensive line coach before he stepped into the interim head coach position, Sparano will place emphasis on a balanced offensive attack that will create opportunities for Carr.

By getting running backs Maurice Jones-Drew and Darren McFadden more involved—the two combined for 18 carries and 110 yards against San Diego after the Raiders averaged just 61.5 rushing yards in their first four games—Sparano opened up the offense for Carr. 

Carr's second-quarter touchdown came at the end of a drive that featured five carries and three complete passes, his fourth-quarter score was set up by four carries from McFadden and Jones-Drew and his other two touchdowns were quick strikes on drives that were both less than one minute long.

This balance, which Oakland was missing under Allen, kept San Diego's defense honest and led to the Raiders' highest-point output of the season, with 28. Through four games in 2014 prior to Sunday, Oakland hadn't scored more than 14 points. 

Week	Total Yards	Points	Yards per Play	Carr's Rating
Week 1 @ NYJ	158	14	3.2	94.7
Week 2 vs. HOU	364	14	6.2	69.8
Week 3 @ NE	241	9	4.3	62.6
Week 4 vs. MIA	317	14	5.0	76.4* (Injured)
Week 5 vs. SD	397	28	7.4	107.8

The offensive line's protection and the up-tempo offense that Sparano has implemented gave Carr the tools he needed to execute at a higher level against San Diego. Oakland gained an average of 7.4 yards per play, a vast improvement over its previous offensive output this season. 

Carr averaged 8.3 yards per pass after gaining just 5.49 through the first four games of the season. 

Sparano said after the game that he liked the way the Raiders competed, but that the goal is victories, per ESPN.com's Bill Williamson. That's the next frontier for Carr as well, who didn't play like a rookie on Sunday but who still hasn't led his team to a win this season. 

With the performance he had against the Chargers, Raiders fans should feel confident that those wins are not far off.