The Oakland Raiders are going to play against the Baltimore Ravens this Sunday without starting quarterback Derek Carr. He suffered a transverse process fracture last weekend in a loss to the Denver Broncos that was initially ruled a two-to-six week injury.
However, as of Thursday, the quarterback was already doing some light work and shouldn’t be ruled out for Week 6 when the Raiders play the Chargers.
Derek Carr (back) throws pass to FB Jamize Olawale. Some drill activity from Raiders QB. Week 6 return vs. Chargers can't be ruled out.
— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) October 5, 2017
There are two ways to look at this.
On the one hand, it’s great that Carr’s injury isn’t all that severe, and that a return in a week is something that could happen. Lord knows, the 2-2 Raiders need Carr in the lineup to have any shot at living up to their full potential. No offense to EJ Manuel, but he’s just not even close to the same level of quarterback.
On the other hand, it would be utterly foolish to rush Carr back into action unless he’s 100 percent healthy. The NFL is a marathon, not a sprint. If he suffers a setback, then the Raiders will be twice screwed.
No doubt, team doctors will be cautious not to clear Carr for play before he’s ready. Still, one cannot help but be nervous. After all, this is the same exact injury that signaled the beginning of the end for Tony Romo a few years back.