The Las Vegas Raiders began the season with a plan to use Marcus Mariota as a gadget player in the offense.
He can run the ball well and proved it early last Monday with a 31-yard run against the Baltimore Ravens.
Unfortunately, it ended up being his only play of the game as he left with an injury.
The diagnosis was Mariota continuing to deal with a quad injury.
The Raiders have decided to just let him rest for at least three weeks by placing him on injured reserve.
The #Raiders have placed QB Marcus Mariota on Injured Reserve, source said.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 18, 2021
This seems like the smart move if he is not fully healthy at the start of the season.
Losing A Weapon
The Raiders clearly have big plans for Mariota in the offense and are paying him a hefty sum of money to do more than a usual backup.
Yet he has dealt with injuries since arriving and has been earning the money rehabbing from one ailment or another.
Las Vegas is also without running back Josh Jacobs due to several injuries of his own.
Raiders’ RB Josh Jacobs ruled out for Sunday.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 17, 2021
That puts the focus on Derek Carr to air it out like he did last Monday to the tune of 56 attempts.
The Raiders had 21 total rushing attempts in Week 1 and four were by Carr.
Expect Darren Waller to continue being a focal point on offense as the Raiders navigate the upcoming schedule without a few key offensive performers.
The New Backup
Nathan Peterman now slots in as Carr’s backup.
There are plenty of punchlines surrounding Peterman’s name, but he was the starter in the preseason and got some necessary experience in an exhibition setting.
If he sees the field for Las Vegas, something has gone very wrong.
However, he may actually be able to hold his own at this point in his career and could not possibly top the disaster of his NFL debut a few years back.
Most teams are not worrying about who the backup quarterback is when a starter is cemented into his role.
Yet the Raiders are a different type of team and wanted to actively use Mariota as a weapon.
If he can heal fast, he will only miss three weeks and the Raiders can get back to their plans for the year.
If not, Carr will need to step up and prove the offense does not even need any other quarterback to ever take the field.
NEXT: Gerald McCoy Suffers Another Season-Ending Injury