Derek Carr was already having a great day against the San Diego Chargers. As he dropped back to pass late in the fourth quarter, he was trying to make it unforgettable.
Down three points with 1:15 to play, Carr sailed a pass deep down the near sideline toward wide receiver Brice Butler. Chargers first-round pick Jason Verrett stayed with Butler step for step and made a leaping interception. Game over.
Was Carr overly aggressive with Oakland nearing field-goal range for Sebastian Janikowski? Perhaps. But the rookie doesn't regret his decision, even if it did doom the Raiders to their fifth straight loss.
"I'd do it 100 times," Carr said afterwards, according to ESPN.com.
"Just trying to find a one-on-one (situation)," he went on. "Going into it, they played quarters right there to that side, if I'm not mistaken. Again, I'll have to see the film, but it seemed like it. Brice had a double move, so we knew he would have a one-on-one and so, I pumped it. The safety was not in the play. I wasn't worried about the safety so I was just giving Brice a chance there."
Carr gave Oakland reason for hope Sunday. He finished the game 18 of 34 through the air for 282 yards and four touchdown passes, including scoring strikes of 77 and 47 yards. The Raidersfell short on Sunday, but they'll get better -- quickly -- if their rookie QB proves to be the real deal.
We recap all the Week 6 action on a jaunty edition of the "Around The NFL Podcast." Find more Around The NFL content on NFL NOW.
