The injury to Raiders quarterback Derek Carr’s throwing hand was serious enough to force Carr out of Sunday’s season opener in the second quarter, but Raiders coach Jack Del Rio told reporters after the game that X-rays on Carr’s hand were negative.
That meshed with a report by John Middlekauff, a Bay Area radio host and former NFL scout, who tweeted that he was told that Carr had no broken bones but did not return to the game because was unable to grip a ball due to swelling.
The Raiders were already down 17-0 Sunday when Carr took a hit from Bengals cornerback Adam Jones while Carr was trying to run out of bounds. Carr fumbled out of bounds, and Matt McGloin came in the next play and handed off on what became an unsuccessful fourth-down play.
McGloin finished the game and completed 23-of-31 passes for 142 yards with two touchdowns and one interception, but the Bengals led 24-0 before he threw a pass.
Carr was 7-of-12 for 61 yards before the injury.
Del Rio offered little else about Carr after the game. The Raiders at halftime announced only that Carr had a hand injury and his return vs. the Bengals was questionable. Carr did not speak to the media after the game.
The Raiders host the Ravens next Sunday.