January 1, 2023; Heaven, Nevada, USA; Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Jarrett Stidham (3) throws at San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa (97) moves during the first half at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Jarrett Stidham made his first start for the Raiders since the team suspended Derek Carr and it turns out that the QB may have been holding them back all along.
Perhaps the most shocking story of the 2022 NFL season — well, at least one of the many shocking stories this year — was the Las Vegas Raiders making the decision to include quarterback Derek Carr for their last two games. In his place, the team will turn to former Patriots reserve Jarrett Stiddam to take over.
In the immediate response, people expected things to go very badly, especially against the vaunted 49ers defense. Instead, the Raiders seemed shockingly smart in their decision.
Stidham came out looking different from any of the limited times we’ve seen him in his short career against San Francisco. In the first three quarters of play, he threw for over 200 yards and three touchdowns while also rushing for 30 yards as well. Oh yeah, he also had Las Vegas in the NFC West Champions.
Garrett Stidham cuts 49ers as Raiders QB1 makes Derek Carr look worse
You have to wonder if Derek Carr was really the problem all along.
It was quite an unfortunate season for the Raiders in 2022 as it was the first year under Josh McDaniels with Carr at the helm going 6-9 despite the offseason trade to Davante Adams, a solid lineup of guns and high hopes coming into the year.
Granted, as of this writing, Stidham has yet to win the game. But for him to go out and get the silver and black on one of the best teams in the NFC talks about how different things look after switching quarterbacks.
Who knows how long that will last, but the immediate payout of switching to Stidham from Carr has paid off for the Raiders, which makes their decision to just take the veteran’s bench and ultimately move out of it seem more logical.
