The Raiders won a game Saturday but may have seen their playoff and Super Bowl hopes disappear.
Quarterback Derek Carr was sacked and injured in the fourth quarter of Oakland’s 33-25 victory over the Indianapolis Colts at O.co Coliseum. He was in tears as he had to be helped off the field after being attended to by trainers and head coach Jack Del Rio.
The injury, a broken fibula, puts a huge black cloud over the Raiders, who cruised to their 12th victory in 15 games and are in position to win the AFC West title and a first-round bye in the playoffs.
Carr gave a thumbs up to the subdued crowd as he was carted from the field, but his loss is huge. He is scheduled for surgery Sunday and head coach Jack Del Rio says he's out for the season. TV cameras showed Carr mouthing "It's broke, it's broke" to teammates. San Francisco Chronicle columnist Ann Killion tweeted: “A horrible silence has fallen on the stadium. Like a funeral.”
The Raiders will be forced to go with No. 2 QB Matt McGloin, who’s seen little action in the three seasons since Carr became the starter. The third quarterback is rookie Connor Cook from Michigan State.
Carr was having one of his best games, completing 20-of-30 throws for 228 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions. His quarterback rating for the day: 122.6.
He was the centerpiece of a deep, versatile and talented offense. Running backs DeAndre Washington (10 carries, 97 yards, 2 TDs), Jalen Richard (66 yards on six carries) led the running attack, and Carr completed scoring throws to three receivers: Richard, Clive Walford and Andre Holmes.
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On defense, the Raiders were solid, putting pressure on Andrew Luck and forcing him into mistakes while holding the Colts running game in check. Safeties Reggie Nelson and Nate Allen each intercepted Andrew Luck. Nelson now has seven takeaways this season, No. 1 among all NFL safeties in 2016.
The Raiders, who welcomed back defensive end Mario Edwards Jr. back to active duty for the first time this season, will finish out the regular season on New Year’s Day in Denver vs. the Broncos.
