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Derek Carr played a tremendous game against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 2. Carr made all the right throws and decisions against the Steelers' defense. The Steelers' defense entered the game without three key starters, Devin Bush, Joe Haden, and Stephon Tuitt.
Derek Carr took full advantage of it by putting on a passing clinic, where he completed 28 of 37 passes. Carr threw for 382 yards on a staggering 10.3 yards per attempt. He had two touchdowns and didn't turn the ball over. Twitter reacted to the performance by giving him MVP shoutouts and considerations.
Twitter reacts to Derek Carr's masterpiece vs. Steelers
It's hard to poke fun at Twitter for their claims of Carr as an early MVP favorite. It's only been two games, and the season is still very young, but Carr is the leader in passing yards in the NFL after two games with 817. That's a franchise record for the Las Vegas Raiders. He's also led them to a 2-0 record against two longtime powerhouses in the AFC.
Carr threw over the middle of the defense and didn't just settle for check downs. He was aggressive, as he should've been with the Steelers' losses in their defensive personnel. His touchdown pass to Henry Ruggs III was tied for the longest pass in terms of air yards of his career. Without Haden, the Steelers secondary wouldn't have stood a chance on that deep bomb.
Darren Waller got open and caught five passes for 67 yards. Joe Schobert was no match for keeping up with Waller's speed and athleticism. Carr spread the love to all his weapons, with four players finishing with five receptions. Four other players had receptions, including Foster Moreau, who caught Carr's first touchdown.
Carr did it all without a viable rushing attack. Josh Jacobs didn't play, so Peyton Barber and Kenyan Drake had to carry the load. Barber had 12 runs for a mere 32 yards. Drake faired worse, running seven times for nine yards. This makes Carr's performance that much more impressive.
Raiders fans are reminded of 2016 when Derek Carr had his best season in the NFL. He threw for 28 touchdowns and six interceptions that year, but Carr looks to have that confidence level back this year.
If Carr continues to play this well, Twitter could be right about their MVP assessment. However, there's a long time between now and the end of the season.
