Del Rio says Cook’s ‘unflappable’ play vs. Broncos shows he’s ready for playoff start

The Oakland Raiders are entering the postseason with their third starting quarterback in three games.

If the situation looked daunting when Derek Carr suffered a broken leg and had to be replaced by Matt McGloin, it’s fair to say it took even bigger turn for the worse when McGloin sustained a shoulder injury in last Sunday’s season-finale against Denver and had to be replaced by rookie Connor Cook.

Now, Cook will lead the Raiders into Saturday’s wild-card game against the Houston Texans.

‘Just poised and confident’

After taking over for McGloin in the 24-6 loss against the Broncos, Cook completed 14 of 21 passes for 150 yards and a touchdown, while throwing an interception. More importantly, he earned the full trust of coach Jack Del Rio.

“To me, that was the one thing that maybe you take away (about Cook) and you feel really good about is that Denver’s got a heck of a defense,” Del Rio told Jim Miller and Pat Kirwan on Movin’ the Chains. “Those guys get after the quarterback and he came off really unflappable. I mean, just poised and confident and kind of like, ‘Yeah, this is what I do, this is who I am.’ I did not see that deer-in-the-headlight look. I did not see that like, ‘This is too big. What are you doing to me right here?’

‘This is what I do’

“He looked like, ‘Yeah, this is what I do, Coach. Thanks for tapping your shoulder and putting me in.'”