The Las Vegas Raiders are fighting for their playoff lives, which means starting quarterback Derek Carr is going to do everything he can to get on the field next week. Carr has suffered a significant groin injury and is expected to have a 10-to-14 day timeline -- which he'll try to accelerate in order to play in the Week 16 matchup against the Miami Dolphins, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. The Raiders play the Dolphins on Saturday, December 26, so Carr has eight days to heal and prepare himself for the game.
Carr injured the groin on the Raiders' second offensive possession in Thursday night's loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. He was ruled out of the game shortly after as Marcus Mariota took over the remainder of the contest. Mariota finished 17 of 28 for 226 yards with a touchdown and an interception while rushing for 88 yards and a score. Mariota is the first quarterback in the Super Bowl era to throw for 200+ yards and run for 75+ yards and not start the game.
Carr was in the midst of a career year with Vegas, completing 68.1% of his passes while throwing for 3,396 yards for 24 touchdowns to just seven interceptions. Carr's 102 passer rating is the highest of his career and his four game-winning drives this season tied a career-high.
Raiders head coach Jon Gruden told reporters he's undecided on Carr's status, which he'll have a clearer picture of in the coming days. If Carr can't play in Week 16, the Raiders will turn to Mariota.
"I met with Derek this morning and he is still sore," Gruden said, via Yahoo! Sports. "I think there's a chance but being conservative right now, I'd say it's 50/50 ... Derek's health will be determined here in a couple days."
