Despite his impressive Las Vegas Raiders debut, it looks like we might not be seeing anymore Marcus Mariota this season. Derek Carr was able to play against the Miami Dolphins on Saturday and played well despite the loss. Mariota wasn’t inserted for any plays so it doesn’t appear the Raiders have the intention of using him in a creative way.
With the playoffs officially out of reach for the team and Carr likely still sore, it wouldn’t be the worst idea to let Mariota finish the season. However, Jon Gruden shut that notion down.
“Derek will start and finish the season, just like we had anticipated he would,” Gruden said Monday. “Whether Marcus has a role in this, we’ll wait and see.”
Carr wasn’t going to volunteer to sit out so the news doesn’t come as much of a surprise. It would be interesting if Gruden can figure out how to use Mariota in some packages. Even though this season has been a disaster since Week 10, beating the Denver Broncos to finish the season would be big as it would mean the Raiders improved by one win. It’s not a huge deal but it would give some decent momentum heading into the offseason.
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Clelin Ferrell to Miss Last Game
While the Raiders have gotten good injury news on Carr, they continue to get bad news on Clelin Ferrell. Though his sack stats aren’t overly impressive, he’s put together a solid season and is arguably the team’s best defensive lineman. He’s a strong run stopper and gets more pressure on the quarterback than his sack numbers indicate.
Unfortunately, it appears he’ll miss the last game of the season. Gruden revealed on Monday that he believes Ferrell is done for the year. There is some chance he plays but it’s very unlikely. If he can’t play, that means he’s missed five games this season. It’s disappointing because he was finally starting to play some really good football. His season ends on a sour note but the Raiders should be excited about what his future could look like.
Raiders Could Be Missing More Players This Week
The injuries don’t stop with Ferrell. It’s possible that Nick Kwiatkoski, Nicholas Morrow, Erik Harris and Daryl Worley could all miss another game. The Raiders defense has been ravaged by COVID-19 this season and it’s not slowing down.
Luckily, Las Vegas is playing a Denver Broncos team that only scored 12 points against them earlier in the season. This is definitely a game the Raiders should win. Obviously, the team has lost a number of games they should’ve won in recent weeks but it’s important to end the season on a decent note. Drew Lock might be the worst starting quarterback in the NFL and Denver has also been hit really hard with injuries. No matter how many players the Raiders are missing, they should still be able to win this game.
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Jon Gruden Reveals Raiders’ Starting QB for Last Game of Season