Marcus Mariota success helps Las Vegas Raiders in many ways
By Brad Weiss
The success of Marcus Mariota on Thursday night put him back on the NFL map and will be great for the Las Vegas Raiders in many ways.
When Las Vegas Raiders starter Derek Carr went down with a groin injury early in the team’s game against the Los Angeles Chargers on Thursday, nobody really knew what to expect from Marcus Mariota. Being inactive most of the season, Mariota had only been activated for three games and played his way out of a job in Tennessee last season.
Well, Mariota put to bed any questions Raider Nation may have had about him, playing at an elite level all game long in the Raiders’ loss to the Chargers. While the loss was devastating for their playoff hopes, the Raiders came out of this one with a real asset as QB2, and that helps the franchise in so many ways.
Capable starter down the stretch
Groin injuries are always so tough to gauge, as a player could be out one week, or it could linger for the rest of the regular season. It will all depend on when Carr can get some movement, and actually start working at full speed, so the fact the Raiders have a bit of an extended week is good news for him.
However, the more likely scenario is that Mariota is going to get the start against the Miami Dolphins, and unlike other seasons, when Mike Glennon or Nathan Peterman would be the No. 2, Las Vegas actually has a capable starter in Mariota. If for some miracle the Raiders stay alive in the playoff race this Sunday, having Mariota as the starter moving forward will prove to be a huge upgrade over backups past.