Based on his career, history tells us that the Las Vegas Raiders should have Derek Carr under center for their game against Miami on Sunday.
Las Vegas Raiders starting quarterback Derek Carr injured the same ankle he broke back in 2016 this past Sunday, and for a minute, it looked like the strong start to the season was going to go up on flames. Carr was able to stay in the game, but on Monday, Jon Gruden said he was questionable for Week 3, which is worrisome as well.
However, history has shown that unless Carr has a completely broken ankle, he will be under center against Miami.
Las Vegas Raiders: History tells us Derek Carr will play on Sunday
Flashbacks to 2016
If there is one thing Jon Gruden loves, it’s a player that will push through their pain and injuries so they can play football and win games. On Sunday, against the Pittsburgh Steelers, that’s exactly what Derek Carr did.
When Carr went down, it was a scary sight. When it happened, the members of Raider Nation got flashbacks of the play that broke Carr’s ankle back in 2016. It reminded Carr of that too. In fact, he told reporters after the game that he thought he broke that same ankle again.
Thankfully for Carr, the Las Vegas Raiders, and Raider Nation, the veteran quarterback was able to walk off the field and return to the field on the next drive.
This was no simple feat, though. Carr was constantly under pressure and was forced to move all over the pocket until his receivers got open. Being able to move the way he did on a bum ankle is impressive. It’s especially impressive when you realize that Carr threw the Henry Ruggs touchdown off that ankle, while he was being rushed by a free rusher.
To make things even better for Carr, he finished the game with 382 yards passing, a pair of touchdowns, and a completed around 70% of his passes. Those passing yards, combined with Carr’s 435 passing yards in week one, have made him the league leader in passing yards with 817.