Getty Las Vegas Raiders QB Derek Carr.
The Las Vegas Raiders were put in a less than ideal situation when Derek Carr had to leave the Week 15 matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers with a groin injury. Fortunately, Marcus Mariota came ready to play and almost led the team to a victory in overtime. Jon Gruden recently called Carr’s injury “significant” and said that his status was “50/50.”
However, the quarterback might not be okay with sitting out, according to Vic Tafur of The Athletic:
Jon Gruden met with Derek Carr on Friday morning and then the Raiders coach told reporters that he thought the odds of his sore quarterback playing next week were “50-50.” Those odds might be closer to 70-30 after talking to people around the team and the quarterback.
This wouldn’t be the first time Carr has played through injury. He broke a couple of bones in his back in 2017 and only missed one game. Carr is as tough as they come and isn’t happy that he had to leave the Chargers game early with the playoffs on the line.
“Carr is said to be ‘pissed’ that he was injured and that the Raiders lost to the Chargers in a game that they had to win,” Tafur wrote. “They now sit at 7-7, after once being 6-3, and their playoff chances are essentially extinguished.”
Mariota played well so it’s no guarantee that the Raiders would’ve won had Carr stayed in. That said, he was on a three-game winning streak against Los Angeles so perhaps he could’ve gotten it done for the Raiders.
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Carr’s Motivation to Play Makes Sense
Carr was in the midst of arguably his best season as a pro prior to getting hurt. There was even a time when he looked like a potential MVP candidate when the Raiders were 6-3 with big wins over the Saints and Chiefs. Things haven’t gone very well for Carr and the team since Week 11.
While Carr has played well outside of the loss to the Atlanta Falcons, the Raiders are 1-4 in their last five games. It’s been another late-season collapse for the team. They need some momentum heading into the offseason. Carr coming back and leading the Raiders to wins over a good Miami Dolphins team and the rival Denver Broncos would do a lot to help the team. 9-7 looks a lot better than 7-9.
Can Mariota Lead the Raiders to a Win?
There’s no doubt that Mariota looked impressive in the loss against the Chargers. He made a lot of big plays in the running game and also dropped some nice passes. However, he did throw a costly interception and couldn’t lead the team to a win.
Running quarterbacks always have an advantage over defenses that aren’t expecting it. The Chargers were prepared to face Carr, who rarely uses his legs to make plays. The Dolphins will be prepared for Mariota unless Carr is cleared to play early in the week. He’s a dynamic playmaker but it’s a little shortsighted to suggest that he gives the Raiders a better chance to win than Carr does.
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