Las Vegas Raiders

Las Vegas Raiders star Derek Carr is currently questionable for his team's Week 3 clash against the Miami Dolphins after he had an MRI on his ankle injury, though head coach Jon Gruden believes the quarterback will be able to play.

"Right now, he’s questionable,” Gruden told reporters Monday.

Carr suffered a bit of a scare during Sunday's 26-17 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers. He noted after the game that "it could have been a lot worse":

He went 28-of-37 for 382 yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions in the win.

This is shaping up to be a pivotal year in Carr's tenure with the Raiders. 

Las Vegas missed the playoffs for four straight seasons. Should the streak extend to five years, the franchise might be in the market for a new quarterback considering none of the $19.8 million Carr is owed in 2022 is guaranteed.

Should the three-time Pro Bowler excel, on the other hand, he might be looking at a big payday in the offseason.

The 2021 campaign has trended toward the latter so far. Through the first two games, Carr has thrown for 817 yards and four touchdowns as the Raiders sit 2-0.

If Carr is forced to miss time, his injury could bring the Raiders' progress to a screeching halt. The impact of his absence would be magnified because Marcus Mariota is already on injured reserve due to a quad problem.

Nathan Peterman's most memorable achievement to date is throwing five interceptions in a single half, so lining him up under center is a less than optimal solution for the situation.

Seven NFL teams are 2-0 through two weeks, but no one has a better early-season resume than the Las Vegas Raiders.

Derek Carr led the Raiders to a Week 1 33-27 overtime win over the Baltimore Ravens before going on the road in a short week to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 26-17. It was a pair of wins that surprised some industry insiders.

"I'm shocked they beat Baltimore," one executive told Mike Sando of The Athletic. "I don't think Pittsburgh is good; they really faded last year. But it's Pittsburgh, who beat Buffalo, had confidence, and it's a complex defensive scheme, and you played Monday night, and now you are coming in for a 10 a.m. (Pacific time) game. It shocks me that they won."

The wins are even more impressive when you consider what the opponents did in their other games against fellow AFC heavyweights. The Steelers defeated the Buffalo Bills in Week 1, while the Ravens knocked off the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 2.

Though it's only two games, the Raiders have positioned themselves toward the top of the AFC hierarchy.

Las Vegas hasn't had a winning season in the last four seasons, including three under head coach Jon Gruden. Vegas Insider had their over/under win total set at seven, with only six teams listed with fewer expected wins.

There also weren't many offseason changes after going 8-8 last season. Defensive end Yannick Ngakoue was the most notable free-agent signing, while the team's first-round draft pick was used on offensive lineman Alex Leatherwood.

The team is still in great shape so far in 2021 thanks to the improved play of Carr, who leads the NFL with 817 passing yards through two games. His current 104.1 quarterback rating would be the best of his career over a full season.

However, we've seen this before.

Just last season, the Raiders started 2-0 and eventually reached a 6-3 mark before a late-season collapse put them out of playoff contention. The squad was also 6-4 in 2019 before losing five of the last six.

Carr and Gruden will look to avoid that fate in 2021.  

Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr appeared to suffer an ankle injury during Sunday's game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Though he was able to return to the game, Carr described the issue afterward:

It initially seemed like a serious injury with the quarterback slow to get up, but he did not miss any time.

Carr, 30, is in the midst of his eighth season as the Raiders' starting quarterback and has registered 817 passing yards and four touchdowns already in two games this season.

While the Raiders missed the playoffs for a fourth consecutive season in 2020, Carr put up solid numbers, completing 67.3 percent of his passes for 4,103 yards, 27 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He also rushed for three touchdowns.

Durability has been one of Carr's greatest strengths, as he entered 2021 having missed only two of a possible 112 regular-season games during his career.

The Raiders haven't done a ton of winning during Carr's tenure with just one playoff appearance, but he has been a steady presence who has kept them in a lot of games over the years.

If Carr were forced to miss some time, the Raiders would have to turn to third-string quarterback Nathan Peterman. Marcus Mariota began the year as the backup but was placed on injured reserve after injuring his quad.

With starting running back Josh Jacobs also dealing with an injury, the Raiders will hope to avoid further problems.

The Las Vegas Raiders have placed quarterback Marcus Mariota on injured reserve, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. The move will keep him out for at least the next three games.

Rapoport reported Thursday that Mariota would miss "multiple weeks" after aggravating a quadriceps injury in a Week 1 game against the Baltimore Ravens.

The backup had a 31-yard run on his only play in the Monday Night Football win.

The injury is part of a rough stretch to begin the year for the Raiders:

Derek Carr remains the unquestioned starting quarterback, but Mariota's mobility gave the Raiders another weapon.

"We lost a big part of our offense," head coach Jon Gruden said Tuesday.

Nathan Peterman will move into the No. 2 role as the only other quarterback on the roster.

Mariota suffered the quad injury in training camp, which limited him during the preseason. The No. 2 pick in 2015 also spent part of last year on injured reserve with a strained pectoral muscle and appeared in only one game.

After making 61 starts across five seasons with the Tennessee Titans, Mariota has been active for just six games since signing with the Raiders in 2020.

The Raiders will hope this doesn't slow them down when they visit the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday.  

If Kenyan Drake weren't already a highly sought-after flex player in fantasy leagues, Friday's news that Las Vegas Raiders tailback Josh Jacobs will miss Sunday's clash with the Pittsburgh Steelers has certainly raised Drake's stock.

Jacobs was ruled out with toe and ankle injuries days after he recorded 10 carries for 34 yards and two scores in an overtime win against the Baltimore Ravens. 

Drake is currently owned in 76 percent of Yahoo! leagues after notching six carries for 11 yards and five receptions for 59 yards in Week 1. 

It was the receiving part of his game that was expected to see an uptick with the Raiders with Jacobs serving as lead tailback.

Now Drake will get another opportunity to handle the bulk of Las Vegas' carries.

As long as that's the case, Drake is an automatic must-start in just about every league format. If he's still available on waivers, don't hesitate to pick him up immediately.

Drake may not be a season-defining addition, but he will provide numerous opportunities for touchdowns and carries as long as he remains healthy.

Las Vegas Raiders star running back Josh Jacobs will miss Sunday's game against the Pittsburgh Steelers as he continues to deal with toe and ankle injuries.

Jacobs, 23, has emerged as one of the best running backs in the NFL after just two seasons. As a rookie, he posted 1,150 rushing yards and seven scores in 13 games, adding 20 catches for 166 yards.

He didn't let up in 2020, with 1,065 rushing yards and 12 scores in 15 contests to go along with 33 catches for 238 yards. That earned him his first Pro Bowl selection, with the expectation it won't be his last. 

The Raiders had a pretty interesting offseason around Jacobs, electing to sign Kenyan Drake to a two-year, $11 million contract while trading center Rodney Hudson, guard Gabe Jackson tackle Trent Brown. The changes, especially to the offensive line, were a bit curious.

But Jacobs told Ed Graney of the Las Vegas Review-Journal in June that he came around to the moves:

"I won't lie—when [the changes] first happened with [the line]—I was like 'Damn, what are we doing?' But then I saw who we picked up and watched game film and saw them practice and how they were working, I was like, 'We're going to be nice.'

"I've known [Drake] forever since the Alabama days when he would come back and train with me all the time. His game speaks for itself—very versatile, can play in the slot, very good in open space. He's going to be a great addition."

Now those moves will be further tested as Drake gets set to handle a heavy workload in Week 2. 

Las Vegas Raiders backup quarterback Marcus Mariota is reportedly expected to miss time with a quad injury.

According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Mariota aggravated a preexisting injury on a 31-yard run against the Baltimore Ravens on Monday night, and it is likely to keep him out "multiple weeks."

Rapoport noted that the Raiders had been planning to "sprinkle" Mariota into certain situations in an effort to give opposing teams a different look from starting signal-caller Derek Carr.

Mariota was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2015 NFL draft by the Tennessee Titans after he enjoyed a standout collegiate career.

In five seasons with the Titans, Mariota went 29-32 as a starter, and he also led them to the playoffs and won a playoff game in 2017.

Mariota was supplanted by Ryan Tannehill as the starter in 2019, resulting in him signing with the Raiders in free agency prior to the 2020 season.

While Mariota appeared in only one game last season in relief of Carr, he was highly effective, completing 60.7 percent of his 28 passes for 226 yards, one touchdown and one interception while also rushing for 88 yards and a score.

The 31-yard run was Mariota's only snap of the night in the 33-27 win over Baltimore on Monday, but it offered a glimpse into how head coach Jon Gruden intended to utilize him this season.

With Mariota no longer available to the Raiders for the foreseeable future, Carr figures to take all of the snaps under center.

Carr is in the midst of his eighth season as the Raiders starter and turned in a huge performance Monday, throwing for 435 yards, two touchdowns and one pick.

He is just 48-63 in his NFL career, however, and has led the Raiders to the playoffs only once.

Even so, Carr is by far the Raiders' best option at quarterback, and he becomes even more vital now that Mariota isn't there to back him up.

For as long as Mariota is out, Nathan Peterman will be elevated to the role of No. 2 quarterback behind Carr.

Peterman took nearly every snap for Las Vegas during the preseason and has some starting experience in the NFL.

As a member of the Buffalo Bills in 2017 and 2018, the Pitt product started four games, going 1-3. In nine career regular-season appearances, the 27-year-old has completed 52.6 percent of his passes for 573 yards with three touchdowns and 12 interceptions, giving him a passer rating of just 34.0.

Peterman was unable to supplant Tyrod Taylor and then got replaced by Josh Allen in Buffalo, and the Raiders could find themselves in a precarious position if he is pressed into significant action.

The Las Vegas Raiders were not happy with how the Baltimore Ravens roughed up wide receiver Hunter Renfrow during Monday's game and let the league know about it.

According to Vic Tafur of The Athletic, the Raiders filed an official complaint with the NFL about what they saw as dirty hits. They compiled a video of multiple plays that showed Baltimore hitting Renfrow after the play and away from the ball.

Tafur shared a video of one play in particular in which cornerback Marlon Humphrey shoved Renfrow to the ground well away from where Derek Carr passed the ball and said it "is a big reason [the] Raiders are so upset."

Humphrey apologized for the hit and said he believed Carr was out of the pocket, per Jamison Hensley of ESPN.

Renfrow finished with six catches for 70 yards, and his team got the final laugh with a 33-27 victory that came after a memorable ending.

Daniel Carlson drilled a 55-yard field goal to force overtime, and it appeared as if the Raiders won in the extra period when Carr found Bryan Edwards on a deep ball. But he was ruled down at the 1-yard line upon review, and Las Vegas committed a false start penalty before losing the ball entirely when Carr threw an interception.

However, Lamar Jackson then lost a fumble, and Las Vegas won on a 31-yard pass from Carr to Zay Jones for a touchdown.

After clear-cut top target Darren Waller at tight end, you could make a case that Renfrow is the Raiders' most important option in the passing game. He will look for another strong outing in Week 2 on the road against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Las Vegas Raiders defensive tackle Gerald McCoy suffered a season-ending knee injury in Monday's game against the Baltimore Ravens, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

McCoy was carted off the field with the knee injury during the game and was quickly ruled out, per Doug Kyed of Pro Football Focus.

"There is some concern for long-term injuries," Raiders coach Jon Gruden said after the game, referencing McCoy, as well as Denzelle Good, and Marcus Mariota. Good was also ruled out for the year with a torn ACL. 

McCoy also missed all of 2020 with the Dallas Cowboys because of a torn quadriceps tendon, leading to his release in April.

The 33-year-old played just nine snaps in Week 1 before suffering his injury, via Pro Football Reference.

When healthy, McCoy was one of the best in the league at his position. The 2010 No. 3 draft pick earned six Pro Bowl selections across nine seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and was named first- or second-team All-Pro three times.

He played all 16 games for the Carolina Panthers in 2019, but he hasn't been able to stay healthy the past two seasons.

The Raiders signed Damion Square off the Chicago Bears practice squad Tuesday to provide added depth on the defensive line, per Rapoport. Darius Philon should also see extra snaps going forward for Las Vegas behind starter Quinton Jefferson.