ALAMEDA, Calif. -- What has stood out about Derek Carr in his first NFL starts is that the game doesn’t look too big for him. Yes, his team has struggled badly and is 0-2.

But the Raiders are not winless because of Carr. In fact, Raiders coach Dennis Allen said Monday he thinks Carr has the makings of becoming “something special.”

His Total QBR rating proves that Carr is not killing his team. His Total QBR after two games is 43.7, good for 27th in the league. But a 50 score is considered average, so Carr’s low ranking isn’t a huge concern. For Week 2, Carr’s Total QBR was 63.1, good for 17th.

Carr was far from perfect in the game as he threw two interceptions, but this lopsided loss was more on the defense than it was on Carr. Carr’s biggest issue is that his Total QBR is 4.2 when blitzed, the second lowest in the NFL. His numbers in those situations should improve as he gets more comfortable.

The key for Carr is to continue to improve. We will monitor his Total QBR scores to see how he is progressing.