Marcus Mariota doesn’t play in Raiders loss leaving fans fuming at Jon Gruden

Marcus Mariota doesn’t play in Raiders loss leaving fans fuming at Jon Gruden originally appeared on NBC Sports Northwest

Two things are true when it comes to the Las Vegas Raiders:

1. They lost in devastating fashion 26-25 to the Miami Dolphins on a last-second field goal

2. They have been eliminated from the playoffs… again. 

The Raiders haven’t been to the playoffs since 2016, and even then it was a quick exit. 

After suffering what was thought to be a “significant” injury that could have him miss multiple games, quarterback Derek Carr practiced and did not receive an injury designation ahead of Saturday’s game. He started the game and went 21/34, for 336 yards with one touchdown passing and one rushing. 

Dare I say it was Marcus Mariota-esque… 

Despite Carr’s stat line, Raiders fans furious with head coach Jon Gruden for going with an injured, or at least hampered Carr over a healthy Mariota. 

Last week, Mariota went 17 for 28, 226 yards passing, 88 yards rushing with one passing and one rushing touchdown. 

Could Mariota have beaten the Dolphins? Well, Miami benched their starter Tua Tagovailoa in favor of Ryan Fitzpatrick, so stranger things can happen. 

At the very least, fans believe head coach Jon Gruden could have used Mariota as a wrinkle in the offense. 

With the Raiders out of the playoffs yet again, fans may get their wish for the team’s final game of the season. Although, should Mariota start and win, he’d be owed $325k in incentives. 

So, it’s anyone’s guess.