Quarterback Derek Carr
Derek Carr is establishing himself as one of the premier quarterbacks in the NFL and Thursday night in Kansas City he'll have another opportunity to add to an already impressive season. The Oakland Raiders defeated the Buffalo Bills Sunday afternoon 38-24, courtesy of some late game heroics from Carr and defensive end Khalil Mack.
No. 4 is currently tied for fourth in the NFL with 3,375 passing yards and recently set the NFL record as the only player in history to record five game-winning passing touchdowns in the fourth quarter or overtime. Carr is one of the favorites in this season's MVP race, but is focused on doing what's necessary to help the team win. The third-year quarterback spoke with the media Monday afternoon to break down the impending matchup with the Chiefs.
Here are the quick hits from his time at the podium:
**Carr talked about what it's like preparing on a short week and how he approaches it.
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"For me, I just have to cram all my film in, all those things. The number one thing is recovery. In a week like this, you just have to get your body ready to play a game in a lot less time. There's some tough things that come with it, but like [Head] Coach [Jack] Del Rio says, 'Nobody cares.' Nobody cares, at the end of the day you have to go play."
The Fresno State-product shared his thoughts on Pro Bowl linebacker Justin Houston and facing him on Thursday.
"Justin Houston is one of the best players in this league. You guys know I love playing against him. I love playing against Von [Miller]. I love playing against these guys because they're the best. That's what you sign up for when you decide to play football. Someday you want to compete against the best. I'm happy that he's healthy and doing well. Obviously, I never want injuries for anybody. I'm glad he's back and I'm glad he's doing some good things. I do look forward to competing against him. It's going to be tough. Obviously, it's going to be hard. Especially going to their place, but obviously we're looking forward to it."
He spoke about the next step in Del Rio's plan and how the team is taking the necessary steps to develop.
"Honestly, I don't know. I just think the way that we've built this culture from the ground up. From learning how to practice, compete against one and other. We're learning how to win games at whatever cost it takes. Whether it's Khalil [Mack] stripping somebody or 'Tay' [Latavius Murray] running the ball in or Seth [Roberts] catching another game winner, we're just learning how to win games at any cost. I think that the more experience we have at doing that, the more situations we're in we're going to be able to look back and said, 'We've done this before.' We'll always have that little bit of confidence."
**Carr praised safety Eric Berry and the challenges he presents in the secondary.
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"Amazing football player, Pro Bowler, one of the best this game's ever seen and I think that what he went through obviously in his own life and to see what he's doing now, as a football fan I couldn't be any happier for him. I know he's a great guy, I know guy's that played with him think he's awesome and such a great guy. I know he loves football and so, I have nothing but good things to say about him. I'm a huge fan except for when we play him."
He broke down the mentality of the Raiders offensive line and why they're so productive.
"Oh, they're nasty, violent. I think that they love contact. I think that they have something about them that they don't like their guy hitting me or hitting [Latavius] 'Tay' [Murray] or hitting our backs. And, I think that that's a quality that you have to have on an offensive line. They are competing their tails off against each other to make sure their guy doesn't hit the ball carrier and I think that's really special."
