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It’s almost like Las Vegas Raiders fans can’t enjoy a win this season. For the second week in a row, the Raiders beat a playoff team last season, and for the second week in a row, they suffered injuries to a few key players.
Quarterback Derek Carr injured his ankle and foot after throwing a touchdown pass to Foster Moreau with five minutes left in the third quarter. He would have stuck it on the sidelines and returned to the game to lead the Raiders’ offense to 10 more points, including another touchdown throw to Henry Ruggs III to win the game for silver and black.
At a press conference Monday morning, Las Vegas head coach Jon Gruden provided an update on the injuries to Carr and a few other Raiders.
The coach said his quarterback had an MRI today and is questionable for the team’s next game against the Miami Dolphins. However, Gruden added that he thinks Carr “is going to be able to play”, per ESPN Adam Schefter.
If the Raiders starter can’t leave, substitute Marcus Mariota was placed in the injured reserve last week, which would put Nathan Peterman under cross. Las Vegas also has Kyle Sloter, a third-year pro from northern Colorado, on the practice squad as another quarterback or worst-case backup option.
Gruden also weighed on running back Josh Jacobs, however, it wasn’t much of an update as he said the running back was “very questionable” to play on Sunday. Jacobs missed yesterday’s game with ankle and toe injuries he sustained in Week 1 against Baltimore.
In the absence of Jacobs, the Raiders used the combination of Kenyan Drake and Peyton Barber in Pittsburgh but with very little success. They combined for 20 carries and 41 yards, however, that might say more about the offensive line than the individual performances of Drake and Barber.
Rookie right tackle Alex Leatherwood came out at halftime against the Steelers and it was a bit of a mystery as he didn’t appear to be injured on the pitch. Today, Gruden gave more information on what’s bothering Leatherwood, saying:
“We’re going to call it back strain. So, it is rated as we speak and we will mention it as questionable until we get more information. But we need our good tackle for sure.
Four-year veteran Brandon Parker replaced Leatherwood and might have even surpassed the rookie. Las Vegas are slim in attacking tackle though, so they’ll need both guys to be healthy. Parker is the only real backup tackle on the depth chart, and Devery Hamilton and Jeremiah Poutasi, who both struggled in the preseason, are the training squad’s only other options.
The Dolphins are also going through injury issues. Starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa left his game yesterday after being hit hard by an incomplete fourth down in the first quarter. Substitute Jacoby Brissett finished the game and Miami was shut out 35-0 by Buffalo.
Tagovailoa’s x-rays returned today and were negative, revealing he just has bruised ribs but is still questionable for Sunday’s game. Although there are still six days until then, the door is open for a possible quarterback game between Brissett and Peterman this Sunday. Prepare your popcorn!
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