The Las Vegas Raiders have been all but eliminated from the playoffs heading into their Week 16 matchup versus the Miami Dolphins.
Following a 6-3 start, the Raiders have suffered a major collapse in the second half of the 2020 NFL season for the second year in a row. To make matters worse, they were dealt a major blow after quarterback Derek Carr was sidelined on just the second drive of their 30-27 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 15 due to a groin injury.
Although Jon Gruden was initially optimistic that the groin injury is not too severe, he did indicate that Carr would be slated to miss some time. Regardless, it seems he is doing all he can to make his return and finish out these last two games.
Gruden praised Carr for his competitive drive but said the Raiders will do what is best for both him and the team at this point, per ESPN’s Paul Gutierrez:
#Raiders Gruden on Derek Carr: "He's champing at the bit to play…one of the premier competitors in the league…we're going to be smart…we'll do what we think is right for Derek and this team."
— Paul Gutierrez (@PGutierrezESPN) December 22, 2020
Carr added some reassurance regarding his status for Week 16:
#Raiders QB Derek Carr: You can always trust me. If I think I can play, I can play.
— Paul Gutierrez (@PGutierrezESPN) December 22, 2020
Carr making efforts to return for the final two games of the season hardly comes as any surprise considering how adamant he was about sending a message and leading by example this season. Unfortunately, Gruden still has his future to think about now that the team’s playoff chances are only at a mere one percent.
After all, the Raiders have a solid contingency plan in backup Marcus Mariota. He is coming off a solid performance after throwing for 226 yards, a touchdown and an interception while completing over 60% of his throws to go along with 88 yards and a touchdown on 9.8 yards per carry taking over for Carr against the Chargers.
Mariota will now have a chance to provide Las Vegas with some bang for their buck as the highest-paid backup in the league. This paired with the fact that the team is likely one week away from officially being eliminated from the postseason gives Gruden little reason to have Carr potentially risk further aggravating his injury.
Ultimately, Carr is going to do whatever he can to be on the field though, and that was evident on Wednesday when he was a full participant in practice.
