Derek Carr injury update: Raiders QB leaves Week 4

Derek Carr suffered an injury while being sacked that forced him to leave Week 4’s matchup with the Broncos.

The last thing Oakland Raiders fans wanted to see what Derek Carr heading to the locker room before the Week 4 was over. But that was the case in Denver, as Carr was sacked and forced to leave the game in the third quarter, giving Raiders fans flashbacks to the last time he had to leave a game early.

That was last year in Week 16 when the Raiders lost their quarterback to a broken fibula thus derailing an otherwise impressive season. It wasn’t his leg, but Carr was still forced out of a big game that Oakland needed him to help them win.

Carr apparently hurt his back on the sack and was taken to the locker room for further evaluation.

For those wondering who Carr’s backup is, it’s E.J. Manuel. The former first-round pick for the Buffalo Bills will have the keys to the Raiders offense, and it will be up to him to ensure things don’t get as derailed in Carr’s absence as it was last year.

The upside here is that it looked like Carr’s injury was manageable. It’s also early enough in the season that if he misses some time it shouldn’t set the Raiders back to much. In fact, it might benefit the Raiders to have him injured this early so that he has the most amount of time possible to recover. Manuel is a starter with experience in a system far worse than the Raiders offense, so fans should have some confidence that he’ll be able to lead while Carr heals whatever back injury he may have suffered.