Former Super Bowl-winning quarterback Joe Theismann said that he loves the pairing of quarterback Derek Carr with new head coach Jon Gruden. He went on to say that some of Carr's 2017 struggles may not have been his own doing, and that Gruden would have only come back to coaching a team with a solid quarterback in place.

Typically we wouldn't consider commentary from former players news, but Theismann is considered a bit of a quarterback expert around the league, making this particular item noteworthy. Carr reportedly struggled to stay healthy in 2017, and regressed mightily in terms of his play. He is currently the No. 19 quarterback off the board in fantasy drafts.

Raiders receiver Amari Cooper is out with a concussion after being hurt on an illegal hit by Denver safety Darian Stewart.

Cooper went over the middle on a pass from Derek Carr as Stewart rushed in from his deep safety position to try to break it up. Stewart appeared to hit Cooper in the helmet and was penalized. Cooper was down on the turf for several minutes.

Related players: Michael Crabtree, Seth Roberts, Cordarrelle Patterson.

Crabtree was ejected for fighting in this game so the Raiders will play out this contest short at WR. But the worry is the health of Cooper on what was an ugly hit. His status is very much in question for Week 13.

OC Bill Musgrave won’t have a player the caliber of Oakland’s Derek Carr at his disposal as he prepares a game plan with the stated objective of completing more passes. HC Vance Joseph said Monday the Broncos have not decided on a quarterback for Sunday’s game at Oakland—that decision could come Tuesday—but it could be 2016 first-round draft pick Paxton Lynch, who would be making just his third career start.

Related players: Brock Osweiler

A move to Lynch would make sense for a new coordinator coming into his first week of action. Osweiler and Trevor Siemian haven't played well behind a sketchy offensive line so it may also be a struggle for Lynch, too, if he's named the starter.

The Raiders have some big names at wide receiver.

But when quarterback Derek Carr needed to make a play Sunday (and for it to stay made), he looked for tight end Jared Cook.

“He’s a matchup problem,” Raiders coach Jack Del Rio said, via Scott Bair of NBC Sports Bay Area. “We’ve had our issues defending other guys like that around the league, the last couple of years. This year we set out to get one of our own, I feel like we have acquired one of our own. Tonight was an example of it. He can be a real factor, he can be a matchup problem for people, and I thought he did a great job tonight.”

Cook had eight receptions for 125 yards in last night’s win against the Dolphins, and has clearly developed a relationship with his quarterback. He has 18 catches for 290 yards in their last three games, leading the team in both receptions and receiving yards.