ALAMEDA, Calif. -- Now in his second season in coach Jon Gruden's offense, Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr has started 15 games since last year's much-needed bye. That's the same number of games he played in his MVP-level season of 2016.
That's also the only other time Carr has played in the same offensive system in consecutive seasons. So there's little wonder why many expected a noticeable jump in play from Carr this year.
Of course, the 2016 Raiders were a 12-4 outfit coming into their own, while this year's still-under-construction version is trying to find its identity, though consecutive wins in Indianapolis against the Colts and in London against the Chicago Bears have Oakland feeling good at 3-2.