It seems Oakland Raiders fans may be able to breathe a little easier today. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com is reporting that the x-rays on quarterback Derek Carr's hand on Monday came back negative and that Carr suffered only a bruised thumb during the Raiders lopsided loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in their 2015 season-opener. Of course, that doesn't mean Carr is entirely out of the woods as both Rapoport and Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports are reporting that the team is still awaiting the results of Carr's MRI which could potentially reveal further damage to the ligaments in his hand.
And considering the team has already reached out to recently cut backup quarterback Christian Ponder, as reported by ESPN's Chris Mortensen, it's entirely possible that the franchise fears the worst on Carr.
Carr, the Raiders second-round pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, showed ample promise and reason for hope during a very good rookie season in Oakland. After posting 348 completions for 3,270 yards, 21 touchdowns and 12 interceptions last season, Carr managed only to make it to the third quarter of the Raiders season opener against the Bengals. In that time Carr put together a seven completion, 61-yard, no touchdown, no interception line.
Despite the promise of his rookie year and the hope of Raider Nation headed into Year Two of Carr and Year One under new head coach Jack Del Rio, there were bound to be growing pains in Oakland. It looks like it may be a long season for Raiders fans again, but perhaps the team will begin to right the ship sometime in the not too distant future, laying the groundwork for a franchise resurgence in coming years.
