Raiders OC Olson: Cold Weather Doesn’t Affect Derek Carr

Derek Carr doesn’t have the best record playing in cold weather, but Raiders offensive coordinator Greg Olson told reporters on Tuesday there is nothing to worry about as the weather relates to Carr.

“I know that the cold weather doesn’t affect Derek Carr,” Olson told reporters after practice on Tuesday. “We practice in cold weather, he practices without sleeves, he throws the ball very well. He makes appropriate checks when in practice. I know the quarterbacks, generally, they’re always evaluated on wins and losses. No matter what kind of weather it is, they’re always going to be judged on records. We don’t read too much into it.”

The Raiders travel to Denver on Sunday and the forecast is clear but the high temperature is forecast to be around 40 degrees.

Last month, The Athletic’s Vic Tafur reported that there are some in the Raiders building who don’t believe Carr can win in cold weather. The Raiders bookended the report with a 40-9 loss to Kansas City and a 34-3 loss to the Jets – both on the road.

But truth be told, it’s been the Raiders as a team that seem to have issues in the cold. Going all the way back to the first Gruden era, even former league MVP Rich Gannon was only 1-7 in cold weather games. Fortunately, this Raiders team (assuming Josh Jacobs returns) should be built to win in the elements – especially to a team rolling out a rookie quarterback.

As of Wednesday, most sports books list the Raiders right around three-point underdogs to the Broncos. A Raiders win coupled with wins by Houston (over Tennessee), Baltimore (over Pittsburgh), Indianapolis (over Jacksonville), and New England (over Miami), would put Oakland in the playoffs for only the second time in the last 17 years.

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