There’s never a good time for your franchise quarterback to get hurt. But Derek Carr’s injury might have come at the worst possible moment.
Christmas Eve turned into a nightmare for Oakland Raiders fans Saturday when Carr suffered a broken fibula that will sideline him indefinitely.
Carr is a legitimate MVP candidate who’s been a huge part of the Raiders’ success this season, and while Oakland still managed to beat the Indianapolis Colts to improve to 12-3, Carr’s absence severely hampers its Super Bowl aspirations.
So, just how unprecedented was this late-season injury to an elite quarterback? ESPN’s Adam Schefter enlightened us with this incredible stat.
We’ve seen plenty of QBs get hurt at critical junctures, but never in the 83-year history of the NFL playoffs has the signal-caller of such a successful team gone down at such a late stage.
To Carr’s credit, he’s keeping a positive outlook.
Oakland’s offense now is in the hands of Matt McGloin, who did start six games for the Raiders in 2013 but has 11 touchdown passes and 11 interceptions in his brief four-year career. McGloin’s backup is rookie Connor Cook.
The Raiders currently are the AFC’s No. 2 seed and could snag the No. 1 seed with a win over the Denver Broncos and a New England Patriots loss in Week 17. As Schefter points out, though, any success they have in the postseason will be nothing short of historic.
How Derek Carr’s injury impacts the AFC playoff picture >>
Thumbnail photo via Kelley L Cox/USA TODAY Sports Images
