The Raiders lost a game they really wanted to win Sunday in Denver, falling 16-10.
But maybe worse was the loss of quarterback Derek Carr.
Late in the third quarter, Carr went down hard and suffered a back injury. He had to leave the game and was replaced by E.J. Manuel. Carr’s back appeared to be twisted by the Broncos’ Adam Gostis as he was spun to the turf.
There was no immediate diagnosis of Carr’s injury. At the time, Carr was 10-of-18 for 143 yards and a touchdown.
The loss drops the Raiders to 2-2. After Oakland started the season 2-0, the team has suffered consecutive ugly losses to Washington and Denver where the offense – which looked dynamic the first two games – hasn’t been in sync.
Going into Sunday's game in Denver, Raiders head coach Jack Del Rio had said his team needed to bounce back strong against an AFC West rival. It didn't happen.
The Raiders fell behind early, 10-0 in the first quarter. They closed the gap on Carr’s 64-yard scoring throw to Johnny Holton in the second quarter, but then the Broncos added two field goals in the third period to extend their lead to 16-7. Oakland managed just a 38-yard field goal by Giorgio Tavecchio in the fourth period.
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The Raiders acquired Manuel this offseason from Buffalo to give them some more firepower off the bench should Carr be injured – as he was late last year just before the playoffs. Manuel completed 11-of-17 throws for 106 yards, but was intercepted.
The real problem Sunday was the Broncos defense, which had the upper hand all day. Oakland’s running game was smothered, managing just 24 net yards. Marshawn Lynch had only 12 yards on nine carries.
Suddenly, the Raiders have gone from looking like a sure-fire playoff team – and a possible Super Bowl contender – to a team with big problems a quarter of the way through the season.
The Raiders will try to rebound this coming Sunday in Oakland against the Baltimore Ravens.
