The Raiders have been a big disappointment defensively. They haven't been as good as you think offensively.
That really doesn't matter when Khalil Mack and Derek Carr are their best two players. Their 1-2 punch from the 2014 draft have proved they can carry the team. After a 9-2 start that guarantees Oakland's first winning and likely playoff season since 2002, the rest of the Raiders should keep riding them.
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Carr is the front-runner for NFL MVP after orchestrating his fifth fourth-quarter comeback in Sunday's thrilling 35-32 home victory over Carolina. His latest Jedi-like effort came, appopriately, while wearing a black glove to protect the right pinkie he injured in the game.
As the quarterback, Carr always gets most of the credit for the winning rallies. But the Raiders wouldn't be in their mighty AFC West position without Mack, the Shaq to Carr's "Mamba."
Mack came in hot, with six sacks during Oakland's four-game winning streak. He got hotter against Cam Newton and the Panthers with his first career pick-six and a strip sack that sealed the victory. His interception and forced fumble served as the closing impact plays in each half.
Otherwise, the Raiders' defense was dismantled by Newton and run over by Jonathan Stewart. They came in No. 28 against the pass, and No. 24 against the run. Despite their wholesale personnel changes to help Mack in the back seven, there's still a heavy burden on him to come through to save the day. For Carr, there's been a lot of inconsistency with the running game, leading to a shaky third-down conversion percentage for such a talented offense.
When you dive into the numbers, the Raiders' statistics suggest they should have several more losses. Week 12 marked their eighth game this season decided by one possession. As we've seen in '16, everything seems to be cardiac with the Silver and Black.
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Because of the Raiders' struggles on defense, they need every ounce of a healthy Carr dealing error-free in crunch time. That also means it's still on Mack to come up with most of the game-changing and game-preserving plays on his side of the ball.
Skeptics of the Raiders' postseason prospects would say they need to be a lot more than two budding superstars being superhuman week in and week out to survive and advance. In reality, the Raiders are a little ahead of the curve with their young nucleus. There was definintely playoff potential with them this season, but it's a surprise they have jumped to the level of being a threat to win the entire AFC. They're not supposed to be so good, so fast.
Mack and Carr have been advanced beyond their years since they entered the league together three short seasons ago. They were built to handle the burden of putting their teammates on their backs.
There's been a layered approach to supporting them, too. In '15, Carr got all of his key receivers: Amari Cooper, Michael Crabtree, Seth Roberts and Clive Walford. In '16, Mack got flanked by Bruce Irvin, Reggie Nelson and other complementary playmakers.
There's no doubt that Mack and Carr are still doing more to elevate those players than vice versa. The Raiders are growing and still learning how to win in Jack Del Rio's second year, even as they're winning big.
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The Raiders have exceeded expectations with "Black Jack" to the point they are playing with house money this season. With Mack and Carr only 25 and scratching the surface of their excellence, time is on their side to contend for a Super Bowl for several more years, no matter where they're calling home.
For now, they shouldn't worry whether they are too much about Mack and Carr. They are fortunate to have found the young versions of Aaron Rodgers and Von Miller and put them together. We've seen that teams can win championships riding those type of players separately.
Mack and Carr have been up to the task of passing almost every tough test they faced this season. There's every reason for the Raiders to think that pair will keep rising to the occasion, no matter how high the degree of difficulty rises.
