Derek Carr: 5 reasons Raiders can win in Week 5 without him

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DENVER, CO – OCTOBER 1: Quarterback EJ Manuel No. 3 of the Oakland Raiders sets to pass against the Denver Broncos in the third quarter of a game at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on October 1, 2017 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images) /

EJ Manuel has worked with Todd Downing before

This might be Manuel’s first season with the Raiders, but it’s not like he hasn’t worked with Oakland offensive coordinator Todd Downing before. Downing had been Manuel’s quarterbacks coach as a part of the 2014 Buffalo Bills coaching staff. Manuel spent his first four years in the NFL out of Florida State with the Bills organization.

Because of the team’s move from former offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave to Downing, it probably swayed the decision for Manuel to come aboard the Oakland ship in 2017 NFL free agency. Manuel may only be seen as a backup from this stage of his career on, but his familiarity with Downing doesn’t entirely make this a lost cause effort.

We’ve seen glimpses of Manuel look good running Downing’s offense this season. He played well in two preseason games this season versus the Arizona Cardinals and the Seattle Seahawks. Manuel outplayed Raiders third-stringer Connor Cook to earn the backup job to Carr.

He actually played respectably against the Denver defense last week all things considered. The game-ending interception to Simmons wasn’t great, but Manuel was driving the Raiders down the field with a chance to win the ball game on the road against Denver. Oakland’s backup quarterback situation isn’t great, but it’s good enough to give the Raiders a chance at beating Baltimore at home on Sunday.

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