It was a beautiful day for football at the Oakland Coliseum. The autumn winds were blowing a cold, crisp breeze through the stadium to remind us fans of the playoff atmosphere we're about to be a part of. The silver and black were dominating their opponent, the Indianapolis Colts, while showing off some backup strengths on offense in WR Andre Holmes and RB DeAndre Washington. The Defense produced two interceptions in the third quarter while Washington ran for two 22 yard touchdowns. The shifty fast, undersized running back breaking through holes brought back shades of former Raider RB Charlie Garner.
Then MVP candidate QB Derek Carr goes down with a leg injury and the stadium goes from Christmas Cheers to Silent Prayers. We now know the injury is a broken fibula bone in Carr's leg that could be season ending. I just heard Raider Central analyst Bill Romanowski say he saw former Raider great Charles Woodson come back from the same injury in three weeks, an injury that usually takes six to eight weeks to recover from.
In the meantime, up steps backup quarterback Matt McGloin. I've always liked McGloin, a fiesty and confident backup who is definitely prepared to step in and be great. I remember McGloin once, after stepping in and winning a game in 2013, saying that "this is what happens when preparation meets opportunity." I'm banking on McGloin taking this opportunity to show not just the Raiders, but other NFL organizations that he is capable of being a starting NFL quarterback. McGloin has never played in an NFL playoff game, for that matter neither has Derek Carr.
Just Do It Matt!
To the sound of "Nuttin But Stringz"
As a fan who witnessed being at the coliseum and seeing Carr go down, I can only say that I'm not gonna let the Grinch steal my Christmas Joy. Carr, my Christian brother, knows his God is a loving God and the ultimate healer, and will have him back on the field in no time.
The Oakland Raiders are 12-3 with a chance to clinch the AFC West division title today with a Chiefs loss, and a chance to clinch the AFC #1 playoff seed with a win against the Broncos next week paired with a Patriots loss. However the cards may fall, the Raiders have won the most regular season games since 2000, with one game remaining. The Silver and Black are definitely back and the NFL is a more exciting product to watch because of it.
Win, Lose or Tie
Final Score
Colts 25
Raiders 33
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