Was Derek Carr truly holding the Raiders back all along?
January 1, 2023; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Jarrett Stidham (3) throws as San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa (97) moves in during the first half at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Jarrett Stidham made his first start for the Raiders since the team benched Derek Carr and it turns out the QB might’ve been holding them back all along.
Perhaps the most shocking story of the 2022 NFL season — okay, at least one of the many shocking stories this year — was the Las Vegas Raiders making the decision to bench quarterback Derek Carr for the final two games. In his stead, the team would turn to former Patriots backup Jarrett Stidham to take over the offense.
In the immediate response, people expected that to go extremely poorly, especially against the vaunted 49ers defense. Instead, the Raiders have looked shockingly smart for their decision.
Stidham came out looking unlike any of the limited times we’ve seen him in his short career against San Francisco. In the first three quarters of play, he threw for more than 200 yards and three touchdowns while also rushing for 30 yards as well. Oh yeah, he also had Las Vegas up on the NFC West champions.
Jarrett Stidham dicing up 49ers as Raiders QB1 makes Derek Carr look worse
You have to wonder if Derek Carr was actually the problem all along.
It’s been a wholly unfortunate season for the Raiders in 2022 as the first year under Josh McDaniels with Carr at the helm went 6-9 despite the offseason Davante Adams trade, a strong group of weapons and high hopes coming into the year.
Granted, as of this writing, Stidham had not won the game. But for him to come out and have the silver and black get a leg up on one of the best teams in the NFC speaks volumes to how different things looked after the quarterback switch.
Who knows how long that will last, but the instant returns of switching to Stidham from Carr have paid off for the Raiders, which only makes their decision to bench the veteran and eventually move on from him this offseason look that much more sensible.
