Opinion: Raiders Must Prove Themselves

Weather could count as Derek Carr’s Achilles heel. The only “weather” the Oakland Raiders should be concerned about is whether they want to go to the playoffs or continue to be one the season’s biggest disappointments.
For Carr — the Raiders franchise quarterback criticized for his lack of success in colder environments — winter’s bite has nothing on the chilling feeling of controlling your destiny and letting it slip right through your fingers. That is truly arctic.

Granted, like every other great quarterback before him, Carr does need to get the “cold” monkey off his back.

“Number one!” Carr exclaimed when asked where getting a win in Kansas City ranks on his bucket list. “Definitely number one right now, especially this week! It’s definitely up there. It’s something that we have not been able to do since I’ve been here. We have to get on that. We have a tough task ahead of us because, although their record is the same as ours, we’re both pretty good football teams. “Hopefully we can just get hot and get on a run.”

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Actually, look no further than the AFC West to get a true gauge of the peaks and valleys of this NFL season. The Los Angeles Chargers are red hot and on an impressive run. The Chiefs are on a horrendous downward spiral that seems to have no end.

“I think certainly, there’s a better feel when you’re winning and doing things well. For us, it’s about the next game,” Del Rio said. “We have to take them one at a time. We went through, we had our stretch. I talked about it the other day. The Chargers had theirs the first four games. We had ours four in a row after winning two. The Chiefs have had a little bit of a spell. Yet we all sit here at 6-6 with an opportunity. Which team takes the most advantage of that opportunity is sitting there.”

The time for talk is over for the Raiders. Actions most definitely speak louder than words and the Raiders have a lot of proving to do in the final four-game stanza of the year. Moreover, it starts in Kansas City.
Prove Carr can win at Arrowhead. Prove the improved defense is not merely a product of playing lower-tier competition. Show despite a series of disappointments, they are indeed capable of winning the AFC West title.