Before Saturday’s appearance for the Raiders against the Colts, quarterback Matt McGloin had thrown just one pass this season.
With starting quarterback Derek Carr having an MVP-caliber season, McGloin was sentenced to the sideline. His role: insurance policy.
Now, the Raiders are hoping that policy will pay off.
With Carr now out for the remainder of this season after suffering a fractured fibula in the victory over Indianapolis, McGloin steps into the role as leader of what has become a dynamic offense.
In late relief of Carr against the Colts, McGloin was 2-of-3 passing for 29 yards. In two previous regular-season mop-up appearances, he had thrown just one pass, an incompletion.
But the former undrafted free agent from Penn State is known as a competitor. He doesn’t have the strongest arm or the quickest feet, but McGloin has always beaten the odds. He walked on at Penn State, became the starter and then earned the No. 1 job with the Raiders in his rookie season of 2013. In seven games that year, including six starts, he completed 55.9 percent of his throws for 1,547 yards, eight touchdowns and eight interceptions with a quarterback rating of 76.1.
With a bad team, his record was 1-5 in those starts. While those numbers are far less shiny than Carr’s this season, McGloin’s teammates believe in him.
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On Saturday, when McGloin entered the game, they told him in the huddle they trust his leadership and talent. They’ve always seen how hard he works and competes.
“He’s a great quarterback,” Raiders wide receiver Amari Cooper told Paul Gutierrez of ESPN. “I really like him. I’m excited to see what he’s going to do. I’m excited to see how he prepares. Just excited to go out there and be able to work whatever to help him come back and play in games. The biggest thing about him that sticks out is just he’s a competitor.”
McGloin told Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle that he has to just prepare and play to the best of his ability, beginning this week when the Raiders travel to Denver to play the Broncos.
“It’s a difficult situation,” McGloin told Tafur. “First and foremost, he (Derek) is a very good friend of mine and it is tough to see him go down and get hurt. He has been having such an incredible season and to see him go down like that was tough. At the same time, I’ve got to try my best to stay calm, stay poised, stay focused and do my job.”
McGloin said he believes the Raiders can continue to win as they head toward a possible AFC West title and the playoffs, saying his teammates “are going to stay focused.”
But, as Tafur pointed out, NFL oddsmakers see a huge dropoff from Carr to McGloin. At one sports betting outlet in Las Vegas this weekend, the Raiders’ odds of winning the Super Bowl dropped from 12-to-1 to 25-to-1 after Carr’s injury.
Kickoff for Sunday’s game between the 12-3 Raiders and 8-7 Broncos is set for 1:25 p.m.
