Just when it seemed the Oakland Raiders were gaining momentum for a Super Bowl run, they lost their MVP candidate and team leader to a season-ending injury.
Just hours after the Titans saw franchise quarterback Marcus Mariotago down with a fractured fibula in Tennessee's crushing loss to Jacksonville, the Raiders' signal-caller suffered a similar fate.
Derek Carr suffered a broken fibula in the fourth quarter of Oakland's win over the Colts on Saturday. Coach Jack Del Rio said Carr will likely undergo surgery on Sunday and is out indefinitely.
Carr later tweeted Saturday night, "I will bounce back and be on my feet in no time! Thank you for all of the love that you Raider Nation showed me in that stadium today. I will be back. This is a team sport! So everything WE want is still out there for us!"
The timing is crushing. Carr had led the offense on five consecutive touchdown drives from the middle of the first quarter through the latter portion of the third quarter. The Raiders appeared to be cruising toward the AFC West title, a first-round bye and even a shot to steal the No. 1 seed -- should the Patriots lose in Miami next week.
The sack by Trent Cole that trapped Carr's ankle underneath his body was the first time the quarterback had been touched all afternoon.
Preseason sensation Matt McGloin came on as Carr's replacement and figures to keep the job throughout the playoffs. Undrafted out of Penn State in 2013, McGloin has recorded a 58.2 completion rate at 6.9 yards per attempt for a 11:11 TD-to-INT ratio and 75.9 passer rating in 12 career games with six starts.
The Raiders' new starter clinched Saturday's victory with a clutch third-down conversion to Amari Cooper, keeping Andrew Luck off the field and draining the clock in an eight-point game. Although there's plenty of reason to believe McGloin won't be in over his head as Carr's replacement, the difference in arm talent and accuracy between the two quarterbacks is immense.
To survive in January, the Raiders will have to lean more heavily on a three-headed backfield that is hitting its stride with rookie DeAndre Washington adding a jolt of playmaking ability the past two weeks.
While it's conceivable that McGloin can lead the Raiders to a playoff victory over another emergency quarterback such as Miami's Matt Moore or Houston's Tom Savage, it's going to take a Herculean effort by the entire team to get past AFC favorite New England or surging Pittsburgh.
