The Oakland Raiders will be without their star quarterback, Derek Carr, for at least 2 weeks and perhaps as many as six weeks with his latest injury.
Everything can change in a matter of a week or two in the NFL. Just two weeks ago, the Oakland Raiders were one of the NFL’s most exciting young teams, anchored by a dynamic young quarterback in Derek Carr with serious reasons to believe they could make the Super Bowl not only this year but in the next few years to come.
Perhaps the future is as bright as ever, but the present is a lot darker than it was before after two consecutive losses that highlighted a myriad of issues for Oakland. In addition, Monday’s news that Carr will miss up to six weeks makes the present feel even worse. In just a matter of days, Raiders fans have to answer serious questions about their team and whether or not they’ll even make the playoffs.
Jack Del Rio said Derek Carr has transverse process fracture. "There's a real good chance he'll miss this week. Typically takes 2-6 weeks.
— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) October 2, 2017
After signing a deal that made him the NFL’s highest paid player earlier this summer, Carr certainly looked the part of an ascendant quarterback through four games this year. Despite the pair of losses, Carr was still completing a career-high 67.9 percent of his passes and had thrown 7 touchdowns versus 2 interceptions.
Now the Raiders must turn to a pair of quarterback options that will make opposing defensive coordinators lick their chops. E.J. Manuel and Connor Cook are the options behind Carr on the bench and neither player is going to strike fear in any opposing team. The Raiders face the Baltimore Ravens next week in an important game for AFC positioning, and fortunately the next game comes against the winless L.A. Chargers.
If Carr takes longer than the minimum, then he would miss the first of two games against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 7—a special Thursday night matchup in primetime that was supposed to position the two AFC West powers against each other on national television. Instead, it could be another game that sinks the Raiders to the point where they face a major uphill climb in the season’s second half.