When star quarterback Derek Carr went down against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 16, the Oakland Raiders Super Bowl chances suffered a crushing blow. However, just when you thought things couldn’t get worse, they did.

Backup quarterback Matt McGloin went down against division rival Denver last week with an injury to his trapezius muscle. Now, they’re left with third-string signal caller Connor Cook.

Head coach Jack Del Rio believes in Cook’s ability

“We trust him to go out there and lead us,” Del Rio stressed.

Cook will be making his first professional start this week. It just so happens to come in a playoff game, which is something you rarely see.

Opposing head coach Bill O’Brien delivered high praise for Cook.

“Good player, tall, good arm strength, smart, won a lot of games in college, so he’s a winner,” O’Brien said of Cook. “Very bright kid, so obviously just from watching him the other day there, he can run a pro offense. I think he’s very capable of doing that.”

With Tom Savage still in concussion protocol, former starter Brock Osweiler will return under center.

Source: Houston Chronicle