Lost amid an overall statistical line that brought rave reviews and gave the Raiders acclaim for finally discovering their franchise quarterback was a second-half offensive fade that included the play of Derek Carr.

The first half _ 171 completions in 271 attempts for 2,094 yards, 19 touchdowns and four interceptions. His completion rate was 63 percent and his passer rating was a stratospheric 104.1.

The second half _ 179 completions in 302 attempts for 1,893 yards, 13 touchdowns and nine interceptions. His completion rate was 59.3 percent and his passer rating was 79.5, just a few points better than his 76.6 over 16 games as a rookie.

It wasn’t all Carr’s fault, of course. It never is when it comes to quarterback play, although Carr has big shoulders and has always been willing to point the finger at himself and accept responsibility. He has in fact taken the blame even when it wasn’t his fault.

We’ll get into some of the surrounding issues in a bit, but ESPN analyst Ron Jaworski _ who expects the Raiders to contend for the playoffs this season with Carr as one of the big reasons _ had a few thoughts on what happened in the second half of 2015.

“I was concerned about Derek the second half of the season,” Jaworski said on a conference call to promote his ESPN NFL Matchup show with Merrill Hoge. “I thought he was a sensational quarterback the first half of the season that plateaued.”

Jaworski said in general Carr began to get less methodical and more anxious as the season wore on.

“He’s got to calm himself down,” Jaworski said. “I think there’s a tendency to play a little fast. When it comes to progressions, he’s got to stay on one a little longer, on two a little longer . . . when (No. 1) comes open, he might have already left (No. 1). What I saw in the second half of the season was a guy who played a little fast and forced plays.”

But it’s a delicate balance that allows a quarterback play at his best, and there were problems when the Raiders had the ball that contributed to Carr getting out of sync.

Some of those issues . . .

No running game: The Raiders finished 28th in the NFL in rushing, but that wasn’t the problem as much as the yards per carry. Latavius Murray, their lead back, was well over four yards per carry and was 3.3 in the final eight games.

That made for more difficult situations in terms of down and distance.

Pass protection: Keeping Carr clean through his rookie season and the first eight games of 2015 was a point of pride for the Raiders. He was sacked 23 times in the last eight games after taking only 24 sacks as a rookie and nine through the first half of 2015.

The problems with the running game and the fact that opponents didn’t respect it played a role in protection.

Amari Cooper’s injury: The rookie wide receiver was a shell of himself through much of the second half with a foot injury. His practice was limited, and McKenzie said there were games where he was little more than a decoy.

Dropped passes: Cooper figured here, but it wasn’t just him. By one count, the Raiders had 31 drops in 2015, second only to the Philadelphia Eagles, who had 37.

With a second year in Bill Musgrave’s offensive system and a better running game with improved pass protection, Jaworski is among the many who are expecting good things in 2016.

“It looks to me like an ascending team that will be a legitimate playoff contender,” Jaworski said.