3 Raiders that can prevent the Colts from getting a playoff-clinching win
Derek Carr could give the Colts problems
Derek Carr passes the ball a lot and sometimes that results in the Raiders winning football games. That seems to be the formula they’re shooting for in Las Vegas and Carr is a quarterback ready for shootouts.
Entering Week 17, Carr is third in the NFL with 4,363 passing yards, and fifth with 559 attempts. He also has a 68.7% completion percentage which is good for fifth best amongst full-time starters.
Carr has passed greater than 30 times in 12 of his 15 games. The Raiders are only 6-6 in those games, but they usually find themselves in them due to Carr’s arm.
Omitting the two blowout losses to Kansas City, Las Vegas’ average margin of defeat in the remaining four losses is 8.5 points, a little more than a one-possession game.
That means allowing Carr to be a shootout type of quarterback gives the Raiders a 50/50 chance to win. If he finds himself in that kind of rhythm on Sunday, this game can go either way.
The Colts must capitalize on Carr’s volume passing and intercept a couple. When the offense gets the ball, they must get the run game going to shorten the game and prevent it from becoming a back-and-forth shootout.
If Indy fails to do either of those things, it will likely be a close game that comes down to the wire. Indianapolis must execute so that they can comfortably win and secure themselves a spot in the postseason.