On the second drive of the first quarter of the Raiders’ Sunday night game with the Chiefs, Derek Carr got under center and signaled to Henry Ruggs III to shift from left to right. Then he used a hard count to see if the defense might jump or show a blitz. They didn’t jump, but Carr saw a cornerback follow Ruggs across the formation and knew the Chiefs were in man coverage. Carr yelled out, “Lava rage! Lava rage!” That’s presumably an audible for a pass concept designed to beat man coverage.
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The Kansas City defense heard Carr’s check and responded with its own. Linebacker Anthony Hitchens yelled to get his defense’s attention and stuck both of his arms straight out to shoulder level to form a “T” with his body. The rest of the defense mimicked Hitchens in succession to communicate that they got the signal and to pass on the message to the next defender. Carr seemed to know that Hitchens’ signal meant the defense was switching to zone coverage and responded with another audible before the defense had a chance to reset.
Carr yelled out, “Purple walrus, LA! Purple walrus, LA!” He audibled into a play-action concept designed to beat zone coverage. Carr called for the snap, faked the handoff to the running back and threw to a wide-open Hunter Renfrow running an in-breaking route right into the zone that the linebackers vacated because of the play fake.
In Week 11, this cat-and-mouse game between Carr and the Chiefs defense went on all night. Carr got the Raiders into the right call on the majority of snaps and when he didn’t, he made plays with his legs. Jon Gruden has designed a system based on a power run game and a high volume pass game that attacks every level of the field. He trusts Carr with a lot of freedom at the line of scrimmage and Carr has been taking full advantage of empty stadiums, working with All-Pro center Rodney Hudson to ensure that their play calls are schematically sound against the looks they get from opposing defenses.
One of the Raiders’ favorite third-down plays is to line up in a three-receiver bunch formation and have one receiver run a deep route to clear vertical space and another receiver run a shallow route to clear horizontal space to isolate tight end Darren Waller on a “choice” route.
Opposing defenses know this and have responded with some creative tactics. Last season, the Chiefs baited Carr on a similar concept with receiver Tyrell Williams running the choice. Safety Juan Thornhill stayed deep to make it look like Carr had space to throw the choice but quickly broke on the errant pass and intercepted it.
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In the first Raiders-Chiefs matchup this season in Week 5, the Chiefs tried to aggressively jump Waller on a choice route, leaving no safety in the middle of the field, and Carr punished them by throwing to Ruggs on a deep post for a 72-yard touchdown. I discussed this play in my breakdown of that game (fourth play).
On the first drive of Sunday’s game, the Raiders once again took advantage of the Chiefs overplaying the choice route on third down.
13:43 remaining in the first quarter, third-and-5
Here, Renfrow ran the shallow route while Ruggs ran the deep post. Instead of a choice route, Waller ran a stutter-and-go. He released outside and stuttered like he was going to break inside but wheeled up the sideline instead.
The Chiefs were in man-to-man. They rotated strong safety Tyrann Mathieu in the box to be the “robber.” Unlike in their Week 5 matchup, Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo wasn’t banking on Carr throwing short and kept the deep safety in the middle of the field.
After the snap, Mathieu jumped Renfrow, Carr’s favorite third-down target, on the shallow route. The play design achieved its goal of isolating Waller one-on-one. He was matched up on safety Daniel Sorensen, whom the Raiders picked on mercilessly in Week 5. Sorensen stayed flat-footed because he anticipated that Waller would break underneath on a choice route. Instead, Waller stuttered inside and beat Sorenson over the top. Carr even used a mini-pump fake for good measure.
Carr threw the ball to Waller’s back shoulder, away from the closing free safety, for a 29-yard gain. The Raiders scored the first touchdown of the game a few plays later.
Confirmed: Darren Waller is a matchup nightmare 😤 @Raiders
— The Checkdown (@thecheckdown) November 23, 2020
Throughout his career, one of Carr’s weaknesses has been that he doesn’t wait for routes to develop long enough. He would go through his progressions with lightning speed and end on his check down too quickly. Tampa Bay coach Bruce Arians made this criticism of Carr when he worked as a broadcaster during his brief retirement. Nate Tice, who worked for the Raiders with Carr for two seasons as an offensive assistant, had an in-depth conversation about Carr’s development and echoed the same sentiment on “The Athletic Football Show” podcast with Robert Mays.
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“He’s a big student of the game,” Tice explained. “I actually have said this in the past, is that it sometimes works against him. … He’s already on step five when he should be going through the process to get to step five. And getting in that process maybe allows him to do something else rather than throwing the ball away or checking the ball down, which is something we’ve pulled our hair out about with Derek over the years.”
Tice would go on to praise Carr’s remarkable improvement this season. Part of that aggression simply has to do with him being more patient and letting routes develop. By keeping his eyes on routes a little longer, he gives his receivers a better opportunity to get open before he moves on to the next read. Also, if defenders start closing on Carr’s initial read, it opens up more space for his next read to get open.
6:53 remaining in the second quarter, second-and-10
Here, the Chiefs were in Cover 1. The Raiders were in a bunch with Renfrow lined up closest to the sideline. Cornerback Charvarius Ward was lined up over him initially but when Renfrow motioned across the formation, Ward didn’t follow him. The defense all bumped a man over. Ward switched on to Ruggs and Sorensen followed Renfrow across.
Ruggs ran a post corner from a tight split. He was Carr’s “alert,” meaning he’s not technically part of Carr’s progression but if Carr likes what he sees pre-snap, he can peek at him before he gets into the actual progression. Tight end Foster Moreau ran a choice underneath Ruggs and he was Carr’s first read in the progression. Renfrow ran a return route on the other side and he was Carr’s second read. Nelson Agholor ran some sort of swirl route that broke back inside and was Carr’s fourth read.
As Carr dropped back, he looked to Ruggs. Ward knew he had help from the safety inside so he had to get outside. Ward did a good job of working his way to Ruggs’ outside leverage and capped off Ruggs’ outbreaking route. Mathieu, who was the deep safety, vacated the middle of the field and followed Carr’s eyes to Ruggs.
As Carr got to the top of his drop, he looked underneath to Moreau but he saw the robber help on Moreau, so he moved to his next progression.
Sorensen had inside leverage on Renfrow and capped off his route, so finally, Carr looked to Agholor, who was able to separate and find space inside.
The offensive line did an excellent job in protection and gave Carr enough time to get through all of his reads. Hudson and left guard Denzelle Good completely washed out in the interior and gave Carr plenty of space to step up in the pocket.
It’s important to note that this play may not have worked if Carr didn’t take his time and stare down Ruggs to move the safety out of the middle of the field. If Mathieu stayed in the middle of the field, he might’ve had a chance to break on Agholor. The timing and spacing of the routes in this concept synced up perfectly with the quarterback’s progression.
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The “Sunday Night Football” microphones picked up on nearly all of the communication that went on between Hudson and Carr. Viewers got a close look at how good Hudson and Carr are at recognizing fronts and pressures and checking into the right protection.
One line check that came up constantly was “bang R.” It seems to be a protection call to get the offense in 2-3 jet protection, which is a 3-man slide.
From Gruden’s 1998 playbook:
2:00 remaining in the second quarter, second-and-9
Every time that either Carr or Hudson called bang R, the defense was in a double 3-technique front (both defensive tackles lined up outside shade of the guards). The line slid to the right, meaning the three linemen on the right had the three defensive players on the line of scrimmage to their side. The left guard and left tackle had the two defensive linemen to their side. Running back Josh Jacobs had Ben Niemann (No. 56), who was mugged up in the A-gap.
Spagnuolo might have designed this pressure with Niemann mugged to the offensive left in hopes that the defense would slide their protection to that side, so they could sneak in a stunt with defensive end Frank Clark (No. 55) looping inside behind Hudson.
This was a five-man pressure. Sorensen blitzed from the edge and Niemann blitzed the A-gap. Defensive end Tanoh Kpassagnon (No. 92) on the defensive right had Jacobs in man coverage if he released. Mathieu had Waller, who ran a shallow, in man coverage
Because the line slid to the stunt side, Hudson saw the looper coming and picked up Clark. Kpassagnon saw Jacobs stay in to pick up the blitz so he dropped back and became the robber.
Niemann beat Jacobs and forced Carr to step up to his right. As he stepped up, Carr had to ward off Clark, who got a hold of him, with his left arm. Still, Carr kept his eyes downfield. He wanted to hit Waller but had to wait until he cleared Kpassagnon.
Mathieu let Waller go and became the robber because Kpassagnon was supposed to pick Waller up in coverage. They were supposed to exchange responsibilities but Kpassagnon stayed in zone and had his eyes locked on Carr.
Waller eventually cleared Kpassagnon but Carr had to make the throw while being grabbed by Clark and drifting in the opposite direction. This was a dangerous throw but Carr knew Kpassagnon was the last defender outside and he only had to get the ball past him. Carr made a difficult throw from an awkward position. The ball traveled from the opposite hash to outside the numbers to get to Waller. Kpassagnon eventually broke on Waller but Waller made him miss and got the first down.
.@DerekCarrQB is dealing so far: 13-for-14, 183 yards, TD. #KCvsLV on NBC
📱: NFL app // Yahoo Sports app: https://t.co/O0IlFC03uf pic.twitter.com/acCKsanRg6— NFL (@NFL) November 23, 2020
In the past couple of seasons, Carr has steadily improved his decision-making when plays break down. Against the Chiefs, he was a flat-out playmaker when plays broke down but two of his best out-of-structure passes were dropped. In the fourth quarter on third-and-4, he broke the pocket and threw a spectacular deep ball with touch to Agholor on a fade but it was dropped. The pass would have gained about 39 yards and put the Raiders in scoring position if Agholor hung on. Instead, the Raiders punted the ball and didn’t get any points out of the possession. On out-of-structure plays, Carr finished 3-of-6 for 21 yards, one touchdown pass and had 5 yards rushing. The two drops would have gained at least 62 more yards.
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Carr’s newfound aggression doesn’t just happen post-snap. When he sees a look or matchup he likes, he’ll audible into a shot play.
0:53 remaining in the third quarter, third-and-6
On third-and-6, the Raiders used a couple of motions as coverage indicators for Carr. First, they motioned Renfrow to the right. Ward followed him across the formation, which told Carr that the defense could be in man coverage. When Waller motioned to the left, Sorensen followed him over but then mugged the B-gap like he was going to pressure and moved forward when Carr used a hard count.
If Sorensen blitzed, Carr knew Thornhill would have to cover Waller one-on-one. Carr audibled, “77 Google!” The 77 was likely the protection and Google was the pass concept, which was a “divide” concept.
Agholor ran the divide route, Waller ran an out-and-up outside of him, and Renfrow ran a backside dig,
This time, the Chiefs fooled Carr. They didn’t pressure and backed out to Cover 7, a form of quarters coverage. Sorensen backed out into coverage to double Waller. On his way to Waller, he collided with Agholor, so Carr moved on to his next read.
Thornhill did a good job of playing over the top of Waller because he knew Sorensen would eventually run underneath Waller to double him. The Chiefs also bracketed Renfrow on the backside of the play.
Mathieu was supposed to take Renfrow on in-breaking routes but Renfrow beat him with excellent route running. Renfrow ran his stem full speed like he was going to run vertical, causing Mathieu to turn his hips upfield. When Renfrow broke inside, he didn’t lose any speed and cut at a sharp angle. He had Mathieu completely turned around and got wide open for Carr.
The offensive line did an excellent job in protection and Carr had plenty of time to get to his last progressions and space to step up. Though Carr might have been a little deceived by the defense, he didn’t panic and calmly went through his progressions. And the man nicknamed “Third-and-Renfrow” beat a double-team against an All-Pro defender to convert a critical third down.
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Carr threw a touchdown on the next play for the Raiders to take a 24-21 lead at the beginning of the fourth quarter. On their next drive, the Chiefs drove down the field to score a touchdown, giving them a 28-24 lead with 5:54 left in the game.
A couple of plays later, the Raiders found themselves in another high-leverage third-down situation.
5:10 remaining in the fourth quarter, third-and-5
Carr shifted Waller from left to right and Sorensen followed him over, indicating the Chiefs were in man coverage. Carr countered with an aggressive audible by calling, “76 Orlando!” The 76 was likely the protection and Orlando was the pass concept. Orlando has been an explosive play for the Raiders in the past but it takes time to develop. On Orlando, Waller and Agholor fake like they are running a mesh concept with two crossing routes intersecting to create a natural rub, but instead of crossing the field, Agholor gets vertical and breaks in the opposite direction.
Again, the Chiefs lined up with both defensive tackles in three-techniques (outside shade of the guard) with Niemann mugged up in the A-gap. Earlier, the Chiefs ran a stunt away from the mugged linebacker but the Raiders sniffed it out by sliding the protection opposite of Niemann. This time, Spagnuolo adjusted and called the stunt on the same side as the mugged linebacker.
Hudson made the initial bang R call to slide the line away from Niemann as they were doing all game. Carr agreed and relayed the call to the rest of the line.
Left tackle Kolton Miller and left guard Good were in a compromised position to defend this particular stunt with this protection call. They had to communicate and pass their assignments perfectly to have a chance.
Defensive tackle Tershawn Wharton spiked the B-gap. Clark initially rushed upfield to force Miller outside. When Clark got even with Wharton, he looped inside, causing Miller to get picked by Wharton. Miller and Good tried to switch late but ended up blocking no one. Both Clark and Wharton got through.
Carr patiently waited for Agholor and Waller to cross, while drifting away from the pressure.
Finally, they intersected and the play worked just like it was drawn up. Cornerback Bashaud Breeland, who was guarding Agholor, tried to go underneath Waller to avoid getting picked. When Agholor got vertical, Breeland fell a few steps behind. Carr couldn’t wait any longer and made a great anticipation throw right as Agholor was getting his head around.
Carr to Agholor across the 50-yard line.@Raiders on the move.
📺: https://t.co/O0IlFC03uf pic.twitter.com/ovXjj6CUF6
— NFL (@NFL) November 23, 2020
Agholor got wide open and Carr hit him in stride for a 20-yard gain. The Raiders drove to the Chiefs’ 1-yard line and had to convert another third-down situation.
1:53 remaining in the fourth quarter, third-and-1
Gruden called a funky boot design in which Carr faked to Jacobs diving inside right and then faked to Waller on a reverse to the left before booting right. Seventeen-year veteran Jason Witten was Carr’s first read in the flats. His second read was Ruggs on the “over” route.
The two run fakes were supposed to entice Kpassangnon, who was the play side end, to chase the ball left and leave no one to cover Witten. However, Kpassangnon made a heady play by bumping Witten and staying with him in coverage. But because Kpassangnon was in coverage, this left no one to contain or rush Carr from the right side, giving Carr time to survey the field.
Carr looked back to Ruggs but didn’t think he could get the ball over two underneath defenders. He even looked back to Waller, who faked the reverse and shouldn’t be part of the progression.
Witten made a remarkable second effort. When he didn’t get the ball in the flats, he kept working to get open. First, he wheeled upfield and inside. Then when he saw Carr break the pocket, he broke back outside and got open. While on the run, Carr fired a dart into Witten’s chest and the wily veteran was able to hang on with Kpassangnon draped all over him. The touchdown gave the Raiders a 31-28 lead with 1:43 left.
The vet! @Raiders go ahead on the Jason Witten touchdown. #KCvsLV on NBC
📱: NFL app // Yahoo Sports app: https://t.co/O0IlFC03uf pic.twitter.com/kwWTwofPx5— NFL (@NFL) November 23, 2020
The 1:43 on the clock proved to be too much time for Patrick Mahomes, as he drove them for the game-winning touchdown. This was a tough loss for the Raiders. They almost shocked the world again. No one expected the Raiders to go 2-0 against the Chiefs this season. No one expected the Raiders to beat Andy Reid coming off a bye. Still, the Raiders almost accomplished both in Week 11. They had a win in their grasps but couldn’t finish. They lost but have shown they have the offensive power to challenge the mighty Chiefs. There aren’t many teams in the NFL that do.
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It took some time but Gruden and Carr look completely in sync with how they want to attack defenses. Gruden isn’t calling all the plays, as we’ve seen Carr is making a lot of audibles before the snap, but he designed those plays and a system that gives Carr answers for whatever defenses want to throw at him. Gruden and Carr’s performance on Sunday night is more evidence that they belong in the conversation of elite quarterback/play-caller duos.
(Photo: Mark J. Rebilas / USA Today)