The Raiders have been all over the place over the past week regarding the status of quarterback Derek Carr. The consistent inconsistency regarding his status for Sunday currently has Carr not playing.
Via Ian Rapoport of NFL Media, Carr’s fractured transverse process in his back “isn’t expected to allow him to play.” But even that characterization carries some wiggle room, and for good reason given Rapoport’s most recent use of “expected” in relation to an injured player playing.
None of it is surprising. Coach Jack Del Rio immediately created a sense of optimism regarding Carr’s injury, minimizing it as mere back spasms. The next day, Del Rio declared Carr to be out for two to six weeks. Then, Carr started practicing. Come Friday, the Raiders shockingly applied the “questionable” label to Carr, which as of 2016 means that his chances of playing are anywhere from 50-50 all the way up to just south of 100.
Rapoport’s report indicates that Carr should have been listed as doubtful -- or at a minimum that he should have been downgraded to doubtful. Of course, given the nature of this one, the Raiders would have been downgrading and upgrading Carr all week long in advance of game against the Ravens that could drop the 2017 Team of Density to 2-3.