OAKLAND, Calif. -- Observed and heard in the locker room after the Oakland Raiders' 24-13 loss to Arizona:

Young injury may be bad: Oakland interim coach Tony Sparano said the result of the knee injury suffered by safety Usama Young “probably won’t be great.” He was carted to the locker room in the third quarter. Brandian Ross took over and will start if Young is out for an extended period. Young was starting because of a season-ending Week 3 foot injury suffered by Tyvon Branch.

Sparano likes effort, but ...: Sparano said competition and effort weren’t the problem Sunday. He likes the way his team has shown itself in the two games since he took over for the fired Dennis Allen. However, Sparano knows it isn’t enough. He said the Raiders have to find a way to win.

Third-down defense is killer: Sparano and the players know they have to find a way to get better on third down. Arizona converted on third down 9 out of 15 times. Oakland came into the game allowing opponents to convert on third down 51.4 percent of the time.

Carr stays positive: Oakland rookie quarterback Derek Carr was his usual self after the game. “Good things are coming,” the unwavering Carr said.