Will Matt McGloin play in the second half vs Texans?

The Oakland Raiders need a spark on offense in their playoff game against the Houston Texans. Will we be seeing quarterback Matt McGloin take the field?

The Oakland Raiders are seeing their magical 2016 NFL season slip through their fingers. Oakland had a shot at the No. 1 seed in the AFC Playoffs heading into the holidays. Then on Christmas Eve, starting quarterback and NFL MVP candidate Derek Carr broke his leg in Week 16’s home win versus the Indianapolis Colts.

This forced backup quarterback Matt McGloin into action, who in turn was hurt in Week 17’s road loss to the division rival Denver Broncos. Having both Carr and McGloin injured, that forced Raiders head coach Jack Del Rio even more. He had to start rookie third-string quarterback Connor Cook in their road playoff game versus the Houston Texans on Saturday evening.

Cook has been largely ineffective under center. McGloin isn’t 100 percent, but could play. Will Del Rio put McGloin out there instead over Cook to give the Raiders a fighting chance? According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Del Rio didn’t entirely rule out McGloin entering the game over Cook at some point in the second half. Cook did start the third quarter.

McGloin is the longest tenured quarterback on the Raiders roster. He signed as an undrafted free agent in 2013, a year before Carr went in the second round to Oakland. McGloin had been a strong starting quarterback in college, coincidentally for Texans head coach Bill O’Brien.

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Maybe this is a reason that Del Rio won’t put McGloin in there for the Raiders? Perhaps defensive-minded Del Rio knows that O’Brien has a firm grasp of McGloin’s strengths and limitations as a quarterback. This is something to keep an eye on the rest of the way. Oakland trailed Houston 20-7 at the half.