Three-time Las Vegas Raiders Pro Bowl quarterback Derek Carr is off to the best start to his career for the undefeated team.
The much-maligned signal caller has thrown for 817 yards with four touchdowns against one interception in two games. He has the Raiders at 2-0 with wins over opponents that many deemed to be vastly superior in that of the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Raiders did get a scare during Sunday’s win over Pittsburgh when Carr went down with an ugly-looking ankle injury in the second half. While the veteran did return to the field, it was clear he had a limp.
In talking to the media one day after Las Vegas’ big Week 2 win, head coach Jon Gruden told reporters that Derek Carr is questionable for next week’s home outing against the Miami Dolphins.
Gruden noted that an MRI on Carr’s ankle was negative and he hopes the quarterback will be on the field Sunday with the Raiders looking to go 3-0 for the first time since their Super Bowl season of 2002.
Derek Carr injury and historical start to the 2021 season
Following Sunday’s game, Carr talked to reporters about the extent of the injury and how it reminded him of the broken ankle he suffered back in 2016.
“It was the same ankle that I broke. I said ‘I can’t go out like this.’ It could have been a lot worse,” Carr told CBS Sports.
The 817 passing yards Carr has put up is a Raiders franchise record through two games. He’s also leading Vegas to an average of nearly 30 points per game.
Related: Where does Derek Carr rank among NFL quarterbacks?
While Gruden did seem to be a bit positive in his remarks on Monday, ankle injuries have a way of lingering. As we saw with Jimmy Garoppolo last season, coming back before a player is 100% also increases the risk of re-aggravating said injury.
This comes at a time when other starting quarterbacks are suffering through injuries they sustained during Sunday’s Week 2 NFL action. That includes Miami Dolphins signal caller Tua Tagovailoa, who is every much questionable to go next Sunday against Derek Carr and the Raiders.
At the very least, this is something to keep an eye on moving forward.