Marcus Mariota takes over for injured Derek Carr with gorgeous 35-yard TD (Video)

Marcus Mariota entered in relief of an injured Derek Carr and made an immediate impact with a gorgeous touchdown.

The Las Vegas Raiders were already at a disadvantage entering Thursday night’s game against the Los Angeles Chargers. They were playing without five key starters on both sides of the ball, and the list grew during the contest.

Quarterback Derek Carr left the game early on in the first quarter with a groin injury, which forced head coach Jon Gruden to call upon backup and former Tennessee Titans signal caller Marcus Mariota. And boy did he ever make an immediate impact.

In the second quarter, Mariota hit tight end Darren Waller along the Raiders sideline for a beautiful 35-yard touchdown pass, giving Las Vegas a 10-7 lead.

Marcus Mariota’s first half was flawless

Back at the start of the league year, the Raiders opted to sign Mariota to a two-year, $17.6 million deal, making him the highest-paid backup quarterback in the NFL. However, things in Las Vegas got off to a rocky start, as Mariota was placed on the injured reserve just days before the start of the regular-season with a pectoral injury. Mariota was activated in mid-October, and now, he’s made his debut in a Raiders uniform.

In the first half of action, Mariota completed all five of his pass attempts for 80 yards and a touchdown. Not bad for a Raiders team operating without offensive coordinator Greg Olson and rookie wide receiver Henry Ruggs III.

Mariota is likely to remain the starter for the remainder of the game, and it will be interesting to see if he can keep up his strong play in the second half. If successful, we could be witnessing the career resurgence of the 2015 second overall pick.