The Oakland Raiders starting quarterback Derek Carr was sidelined with a lower back fracture on Sunday, October 1 against the Broncos.  

Carr suffered this injury on a play attempting to avoid a sack by defensive end Adam Gotsis. The Oakland Raiders had just signed Carr to a five year $150 million deal during the offseason.  Carr will still be paid while recovering.

The team’s decision to sign EJ Manuel pays off. After playing four seasons for the Bills they parted ways and he will replace Derek Carr for the time being.

The Raiders are hopeful that their starting quarterback can regain his health as quickly as possible, but they are not rushing into anything. They are giving Carr as much time to recover as he needs.

Carr threw for 753 yards and seven touchdowns in just four games.

The Raiders fan base is known to be loyal and Derek Carr’s injury won’t change the fact, but it will make them question if he’s worth the money. The highest paid NFL quarterback is out for 2-6 weeks and Oakland will have a very difficult time without him. The AFC West is being held by the Chiefs who are undefeated, that means without Carr, Manuel will have to fill his place.

Holding the third spot in the division after two straight losses Derek Carr’s injury came at a very unfortunate time. Carr has been at top quarterback in the league but has still faced criticism for the offensive struggles. If the Raiders want to win the division without Derek Carr they will need Manuel to play at his best along with the defense.

After playing the Ravens this week on Sunday,October 8 Oakland has dropped to a 2-3 record. Being in a division with the only remaining undefeated team their chances to make the playoffs are slim, especially with Carr being injured and the defense continues to struggle as a whole.

The Raiders look to flip their season around with a win next week facing the 1-5 Chargers.

Looking at the Oakland roster on a paper they very well can be an above .500 team with an explosive offense and a strong defense. The players simply are not playing at high level and that needs to change fast for the sake of making the playoffs.