Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr (4) is struggling to gain a connect with his wide receiver. Jeremy Reper-USA TODAY Sports

Raiders' Davante Adams, Derek Carr all fizzle, no sizzle

By Clark Dalton | Last updated 11/7/22

In the second half Sunday, QB Derek Carr and WR Davante Adams fizzled like a failed chemistry experiment.

In the Raiders 27-20 loss against the Jaguars, Carr was 1-for-8 when targeting Adams in the second half. That's a stark contrast from their performance in the first half, when they connected for two touchdowns.

Their lack of chemistry in the second half isn't an outlier either. It's a troubling trend. According to CBS Sports' Doug Clawson, when Carr targets Adams in the first half, he has a 142.7 passer rating, the league's best. However, when Carr targets Adams in the second half, his rating plummets to 66.9, the league's sixth-worst mark.

Derek Carr was 1/8 targeting Davante Adams in the 2nd half today.

He’s 2/15 targeting Adams in the 2nd half of the Raiders 3 17-point blown leads.

Derek Carr targeting Davante Adams
142.7 passer rtg in 1st half (best in NFL)
66.9 passer rtg in 2nd half (6th-worst in NFL)
— Doug Clawson (@doug_clawson) November 6, 2022

Their inability to connect is one reason the Raiders keep blowing leads.

The Raiders (2-6) are the third team in NFL history to have three blown leads of at least 17 points. In those three losses, Carr is 2-for-15 targeting Adams in the second half, per Clawson.

It's not clear why the pair is inconsistent because they were college teammates and are both former Pro Bowlers. However, Carr's comments after the loss to Jacksonville indicated the team has internal issues.

"I think there is a lot I want to say, but if I'm honest, I don't need to say it here," he said

Perhaps this points to issues within the locker room. If there are locker room problems, it leads to poor cohesiveness throughout the team, which might explain why Adams and Carr have failed to become one of the league's best tandems.

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