Scott Clarke / ESPN Images(NEW YORK) — Two of the NFL’s most promising young quarterbacks suffered serious broken bones in their penultimate regular season games.
Both Derek Carr of the Oakland Raiders and Marcus Mariota of the Tennessee Titans broke fibulas in their right legs on Christmas Eve. They will miss their final games of the regular season after undergoing surgery.
Mariota has taken a lot of hits over his first two professional seasons: he’s been sacked 61 times in just 27 games. And after Saturday’s game, running back DeMarco Murray said the team didn’t protect their quarterback
“He’s a great player, a competitor, he’ll bounce back,” Murray said Saturday. “We didn’t…protect him at all today.”
Mariota’s successful sophomore season ended with the injury as the Titans were eliminated from the playoffs. He set career highs in numerous offensive categories.
Carr’s loss is devastating for Oakland. The 25-year-old has had an MVP-caliber season and is the leader of a Raiders team that still has a chance to clinch the number one seed in the AFC. A hard tackle in the backfield injured Carr and he said he knew immediately after the hit that the injury was serious.
Head coach Jack Del Rio said Carr “will be out indefinitely.”
The Raiders will close out the season in Denver, facing the Broncos in Week 17. The Titans will face the Houston Texans.
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