Oakland Raiders: The Week 1 Aftermath

September 13, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr (4) runs past Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Michael Johnson (90) during the second quarter at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

The Raiders Must Keep Derek Carr Clean:

This one is a little hard to judge, as technically the Raiders didn’t give up a sack of Carr, and did fairly well protecting McGloin as well. In fact, considering the injury issues up front on the offensive line for Oakland and the pass rush the Bengals possess, giving up only 2 sacks the entire game should be considered a job well done.

The issue was that Carr injured his throwing hand while trying to fend off a tackle late in the first half, and though the initial outlook is good for Carr to return fairly quickly, the fact that he couldn’t finish the first game of the season coupled with the decision the Raiders made let Christian Ponder go seems very ominous right now.

Carr is a fairly mobile quarterback, and the odds of him getting injured again aren’t going down anytime soon. The Ravens defense isn’t much of a relief, if any, for the Raiders this week.

If Carr is able to play, Oakland needs to do a good job of protecting him in the pocket, and hoping like hell he doesn’t get injured scrambling for a 1st down again.

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