Raiders' Derek Carr eager to bounce back from loss to KC

ALAMEDA - After playing perhaps his worst game as a pro on the biggest stage he’s had in three seasons in the NFL, Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr wanted to get back on the field the day after his loss in Kansas City.

Instead, Carr will have to wait 10 days for another shot when Oakland (10-3) visits San Diego (5-8) on Sunday.

Despite that loss, the Raiders can clinch a playoff spot with a win against the Chargers and end a 13-year postseason drought.

That would complete a remarkable turnaround for a team that started Carr’s rookie season in 2014 with 10 consecutive losses.

“Starting 0-10 was not fun,” Carr said Wednesday. “It makes these moments so awesome ... to already have 10 wins. I know for our team our sole focus is beating the Chargers because if we don’t, we’re still hoping and wishing.”

Oakland’s 21-13 loss to Kansas City (10-3) last week cost the Raiders control of the AFC West with the Chiefs holding the tiebreaker by virtue of sweeping the series.

Oakland can still win the division by posting a better record than Kansas City over the final three games or get in as a wild-card team with another win.

But the main focus will be fixing an offense that struggled to move the ball in the air in frigid Kansas City against the Chiefs.

Carr went 17 for 41 for 117 yards in that game, posting a career-low 49.1 rating. Carr had his second-lowest completion percentage in a game and set a worst with 2.85 yards per attempt.

“It was just execution, it was literally inches,” Carr said. “There were a whole bunch of plays I think about that we always hit that for whatever reason, sometimes it was good feet and the route was good and we just missed by an inch. Sometimes that happens in practice and you never want it to happen in games.”

It hadn’t happened in games much at all this season for Carr and the Raiders, who have used their high-powered passing game to become one of the top teams in the league.

Despite the rough day against the Chiefs, Carr still has thrown for 3,492 yards, 24 touchdowns and only five interceptions for a 96 passer rating and taken only 13 sacks.

Amari Cooper has already topped 1,000 yards receiving and Michael Crabtree could join him with 194 yards in the final three games, giving Oakland its first pair of 1,000-yard receivers since Hall of Famers Jerry Rice and Tim Brown did it in 2001.