Could Derek Carr play in Super Bowl if Raiders can make it there? – Yahoo Sports

Oakland Raiders fans suffered a gut shot on Christmas Eve when they saw their star quarterback mouth the words “it’s broken” after falling to the ground in a blowout win over the Indianapolis Colts on Saturday.

There’s still slim hope that Derek Carr could return, but it almost certainly would have to be in the Super Bowl. And that would mean Matt McGloin would be leading the Raiders from now until then.

Here’s the latest from ESPN’s Adam Schefter:

The Super Bowl is exactly 41 days from Monday’s report, so that almost would fit into that timetable. But, man, that would be extremely hopeful — on more than one level. Still, here’s Carr’s surgeon tweeting that it’s not something we should easily dismiss.

McGloin, who replaced Carr and completed 2-of-3 passes for 29 yards against the Colts, will be making his first start Sunday since his rookie season of 2013. There’s a lot at stake, too: The Raiders would like to win to lock up the AFC West title and the No. 2 playoff seed that goes with it. Their opponent, the Denver Broncos, have been eliminated but would love to play spoilers against their division rivals.

A bye would go a long way toward helping the Raiders miraculously reach the Super Bowl. Let’s say the Raiders earn the 2-seed and the bye; there would be a decent chance that the Pittsburgh Steelers could beat the Matt Moore-led Miami Dolphins, which would set up a Steelers-Raiders game in Oakland. Hard to believe, but the Raiders have beaten them three straight out there (including in 2012 and 2013) with far lesser teams. Plus, the Steelers have been streaky this season, losing four straight and winning six in a row currently but also needing to come back from double-digit deficits in each of the past two games.

We know we are stretching here. Even in that scenario if they beat the Steelers, the Raiders still could need to beat the New England Patriots in Foxboro or face a Kansas City Chiefs team they lost two twice this season — and that was with Carr. And that would get them, improbably, to the Super Bowl. Where they might or might not have Carr healthy.

It would be asking a lot. But what a story that would be in what could be their final season in Oakland.

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Eric Edholm is a writer for Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at edholm@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter!

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