Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr exhibited humility Sunday in deflecting any credit for his team's undefeated record, saying fame is "fleeting" and adding that his purpose is to "glorify" God no matter what happens.
The Raiders defeated Miami in overtime 31-28 to improve to 3-0 for the first time since 2002, with Carr completing 26 of 43 passes for 386 yards and two touchdowns.
In a postgame Fox interview on national television, Carr refused to take credit. Told that he's playing like an MVP with confidence and command, the Raiders quarterback responded, "I've been through this before when I snapped my ankle with fans chanting MVP and all that kind of stuff."
"All of the self-glory – that stuff is fleeting," Carr said. "I've already been through that. God took me to a place that all I want to do is glorify Him, and wherever He's going, that's where I want to go. And so, if it's a win, awesome. If it's not, I'm still going to glorify Him."
The Raiders became the first team to begin the season 3-0 by only playing teams that won at least 10 games the previous season, according to ESPN. Two of the Raiders' wins have been in overtime.
On Sunday, the Raiders rallied from a 14-0 deficit by scoring 25 straight points and then responded when the Dolphins came back to tie it.
"We knew what kind of team they were. They were coming off a hard [35-0] loss [to Buffalo]," Carr said. "... Everybody has a game where it's not perfect, but we know what to expect, and it was a dogfight to the end. They did some things early. We were able to get our rhythm again and make some plays. We still haven't played our best football. And I think that's a frustrating thing and an exciting thing."
It is the Raiders' second season in their new home city, Las Vegas, but their first one in front of packed stadiums there. Their inaugural season in Las Vegas took place during the 2020 pandemic.
"I'm just thankful," Carr said. "This crowd, this city – they've really taken us in. It's been awesome."
Photo courtesy: ©Getty Images/Ethan Miller/Staff
Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
