Raiders’ Jarrett Stidham dazzles in his first NFL start. ‘Love playing with emotion.’
Jarrett Stidham’s first NFL start couldn’t have gone any better on the Raiders’ opening drive against the San Francisco 49ers.
He led the Raiders on a drive that went 70 yards on six plays, capped by a 24-yard touchdown to Darren Waller for a 7-0 lead.
On that drive, Stidham completed 3 of 3 for 58 yards.
And how did he end the first half? A 2-yard pass to Davante Adams for a touchdown that gave the Raiders a 17-14 lead going into halftime. Stidham was 11 of 14 for 145 yards and two touchdowns.
He finished the game completing 23 of 34 passes (67.6%) for 365 yards, three touchdowns, two interceptions and a 108.1 passer rating in the Raiders’ 34-27 loss to the 49ers.
“I just try to play with emotion,” Stidham said. “Never get too high or too low. But football is fun. I mean, we get to play football for a living and if you’re not excited and having fun with your teammates, then what are you doing? That’s how I look at it. If one of my teammates makes a great play, I’m going to go celebrate with them. That’s just how I’ve always looked at it. I love playing with emotion and trying to rally the guys the best I can. That’s what I’m going to keep doing.”
Stidham also had seven carries for 34 yards. His 365 passing yards are the most in a single game by a Raiders QB since Week 12 of the 2021 season (Derek Carr, 373) and his 365 yards are also the most by a Raiders quarterback in their first career start.
Stidham got the start because Carr was benched for the final two games of the NFL season. The Raiders have to decided whether to keep Carr or trade or release him by Feb. 10 or his $42 million contract because guaranteed.
This was Stidham’s 12th game played since he joined the New England Patriots in 2019.
This story was originally published January 1, 2023 at 2:36 PM.
