Raiders QB Carr out 2 to 6 weeks with back injury
ALAMEDA (AP) — Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr will miss between two and six weeks after breaking a bone in his back during a loss to the Denver Broncos. Coach Jack Del Rio said Monday that a CT scan showed that Carr has a transverse process fracture in his back after being injured in the third quarter of a 16-10 loss Sunday. Del Rio said these injuries typically sideline players for two to six weeks.
“It’s always a big blow to lose a good player, a key player and your quarterback,” Del Rio said. “The good news is he’s not gone for the year. We’ll get him back. It could be as short as two weeks, it could be longer. We’ll see. We’ll deal with that as it goes.”
Former Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo and the Panthers’ Cam Newton each had similar injuries in 2014 and missed only one game each.
This is the second significant injury Carr has suffered in less than 10 months. He broke his leg in the second-tolast game of the regular season in 2016 with the Raiders holding a 12-3 record. Oakland lost the regular-season finale with Matt McGloin starting at quarterback to miss out on winning the division and then was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs with Connor Cook starting.
The Raiders hope they are better equipped to handle the absence this year with E.J. Manuel at quarterback. Manuel, a first-round pick in Buffalo in 2013, showed some encouraging signs when he relieved Carr after the injury.
Manuel completed 11 of 17 passes for 106 yards. He led a 73-yard drive for a field goal that ended when Jared Cook couldn’t catch a well-thrown ball in the end zone. He then moved the Raiders across midfield while seeking a late, go-ahead touchdown before throwing a game-sealing interception on a deep shot to Amari Cooper with 1:46 to play.
“I don’t feel like the moment was too big for him,” Del Rio said. “I felt like he was accurate, made good decisions with the exception of putting that one up late . ... I liked the demeanor he played with. I like the certainty he played with and I liked his accuracy.” Manuel started just three games the past two seasons for the Bills and will be seeking his first win as a starter on Sunday against Baltimore since beating Miami 29-10 on Sept. 14, 2014.
The Raiders will have plenty of issues to fix on offense after being held to 10 or fewer points in consecutive games for the first time since 2009, when it happened three in a row with JaMarcus Russell at quarterback.