Shanahan hopes 49ers defense will ‘confuse’ Jarrett Stidham in first start for Raiders
Dec 28, 2022, 3:00 PM
JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA - NOVEMBER 06: Jarrett Stidham #3 of the Las Vegas Raiders warms up prior to playing the Jacksonville Jaguars at TIAA Bank Field on November 06, 2022 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Eric Espada/Getty Images)
(Photo by Eric Espada/Getty Images)
On Wednesday, Las Vegas Raiders coach Josh McDaniels announced the team is benching quarterback Derek Carr for the remainder of the season. Jarrett Stidham will move into the starting role and Chase Garbers will back him up.
The first opponent for Stidham will be the San Francisco 49ers. On Wednesday, coach Kyle Shanahan reacted to his opponent’s news, saying Carr is a “real good player.”
“I don’t know why they’re doing it, but it doesn’t matter to me,” Shanahan said. “We knew there was a possibility just looking into it…But no, I don’t worry about that with our guys. Our guys know one way to play and expect to see them that way.”
Stidham, the Raiders’ new starting quarterback, was drafted in 2019 by the New England Patriots and traded to Las Vegas this past offseason. He’s played 11 games total in his career, one of which was against the 49ers in 2020. In that game, he completed just six passes for 64 yards with one interception and one sack.
“We’ve seen him play before, not just at the Senior Bowl,” Shanahan said. “But he can make every throw, similar to Carr in that way. But he hasn’t been out there a lot so hopefully we’ll confuse him, make it tough for him.”
The 49ers’ defense ranks number one in the league, leading the NFL in points, yards and touchdowns allowed.
