There have been moments this year where Derek Carr has looked like an MVP candidate. But there have been other games in which it was fair to wonder if they should consider going to Marcus Mariota in order to create a spark on offense.

But Carr showed why he deserves to be the franchise quarterback in Week 12 against the Cowboys.

Against one of the better defenses in the league, Carr led the Raiders to over 500 yards of offense and a win over the Cowboys on Thanksgiving Day. He did so without Darren Waller for most of the day and managed to throw for 373 yards and one touchdown.

After that performance, Derek Carr has retaken the lead for most passing yards (3,414) this season. Right behind him is Tom Brady, who trails by only nine yards.

While it’s fantastic to see Carr leading in this area, it’s obviously not the most important goal for him and his team. The Raiders are searching for their first playoff berth since 2017 and hopefully, their first playoff win since 2002.

If Carr can continue to play at an elite level (he’s averaging a career-high 8.3 yards per attempt this season), the Raiders will have a real shot to make it in the AFC. At 6-5, they are right in the thick of things in the conference.

However, they need to get a win on Sunday against the Washington Football Team in order to keep their playoff hopes alive. Needless to say, the Raiders need Carr to have another big performance in Week 13.