Cold weather forecast bad news for Derek Carr, Raiders

ALAMEDA, Calif. — The weather won’t be to Raiders quarterback Derek Carr’s liking Sunday in Denver against the Broncos. With a forecast high of 40 degrees, Carr and the Raiders could face trouble in their quest to sneak into the AFC playoffs.

That’s because, with Carr behind center, the Raiders have lost their last nine games when the gametime temperature was below 50 degrees. Carr has a 65.9 career passer rating when the temperature is below 50. That number improves to 94.7 when the temperature is 50 or above.

This year alone, Carr struggled mightily in cold weather in Weeks 12 and 13, when the Raiders lost to the Jets and Chiefs on the road. In those games, he threw for 349 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions.

While the forecast is downright balmy for Colorado this time of year, it could still affect the game if past is prologue.

Carr is aware of his reputation for poor performances in the cold but says he’s able to tune it out.

“It used to (bother me), but to be honest, this is a team game. We are all out there. We’re all dealing with it, both teams, just trying to win a game,” he said. “It doesn’t bother me one bit. The weather doesn’t bother me. We just haven’t won. So, hopefully it will be just above 40 degrees and we’ll be good.”

The Raiders defeated the Broncos back in Week 1, Vic Fangio’s first game as head coach. Denver didn’t register a sack or a quarterback hit in that game, but they’re now tied at No. 17 with 38 sacks heading into the last game of the regular season. Outside linebacker Von Miller is tied for the team lead with seven.

“It starts with Von Miller. It starts with their pass rush,” Carr said. “I remember Week 1 playing against them, it was one of the tougher defenses we’ve faced all year.”

“I think it starts, to me, with the players. Then it goes back to the scheme,” Raiders offensive coordinator Greg Olson said. “I think Vic has his handprints all over it”

To have success against the Broncos, Carr will need to spread the ball around to the club’s outside targets. After weeks of paltry production from the receiving corps, the Raiders got into a rhythm on the outside in the win over the Los Angeles Chargers, particularly with wide receivers Hunter Renfrow and Tyrell Williams.

Renfrow led the club with seven receptions for 107 yards and a touchdown, with six of his nine targets coming on third down. Of those, three resulted in a first down or score.

“He just has such a good feel, a good knack of getting open,” Carr said. “Even if he’s not first in the progression, for whatever reason the ball just finds him.”

While Renfrow and Williams had the most notable numbers, Carr finished 14-of-16 passing to wide receivers for 203 yards and a touchdown.

“I think Derek plays his best when he spreads the football around,” Olson said. “That’s also been a little bit of an emphasis here in the last couple of weeks … let’s not get too locked in on certain people. Let’s work through our progressions and get to the open player, whoever that player might be.”

Raiders head coach Jon Gruden has been consistent in his public praise of Carr, and Olson has echoed that. And by finishing Sunday’s win over the Chargers 26-of-30 passing for 291 yards and a score, plus a key three-yard touchdown run at the end of the first half, Carr put the offense in good position to finish the season strong.

“We’ve felt like he played well last week and he was a big reason for why we won the football game,” Olson said of Carr. “We were encouraged by his play last week, but we have those expectations each week.”

So as Carr and the Raiders try to shed their cold-weather reputation, the team knows there’s only one way to even have a chance at Wild Card weekend.

“We just got to make sure we take care of business,” Carr said.

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Contact Myles Simmons at msimmons@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0350. Follow @MylesASimmons on Twitter.