For the Raiders, in what was mostly a gratifying, if rather unattractive, win over the Jets on Sunday Night Football, there was a frightening sequence early in the second quarter.
That was when Amik Robertson chased Jets running back Breece Hall and took a knee to the head as he tried to make the tackle. Robertson went down immediately with an apparent concussion and had to be helped off the field.
Coach Antonio Pierce summed it up in his press conference on Monday. “It was a pretty scary moment,” he said.
As soon as Robertson hit the ground, teammates began signaling to the sideline for help. The Jets medical staff, which was closer, immediately stepped in and began assisting Robertson. Robertson was helped off the field, and missed the remainder of the game with a concussion.
He might still need to miss time—the ups and downs of the NFL’s concussion protocol are mysterious—but Pierce did have a positive update on Robertson.
“After the game, he was in the tunnel with me, high-fiving, shaking everybody’s hand,” Pierce said. “Haven’t seen him this morning but after the game, he was in great spirits, in the locker room, having fun with the boys.”
Raiders’ Amik Robertson Was in ‘Fencing’ Position
After the injury, it appeared that Robertson was in what is known as a “fencing” position, which is to say one arm is bent toward the body while the other is extended outward. That is generally seen as a sign of a concussion, and even though Armstead was celebrating with his team, it does not mean he won’t need to sit again next week.
Retired former wrestler Chris Nowinski, now a neuroscientist who speaks out about the dangers of concussions and is one of the founders of Boston University’s CTE Center, said he will not be happy if Robertson takes the field in Week 11.
Textbook fencing response by Amik Robertson in the upper left corner of the screen, meaning he is unconscious, has a #concussion, and will not return.
Always sad to see.
I’ll lose my mind if they play him next week.
“Textbook fencing response by Amik Robertson in the upper left corner of the screen, meaning he is unconscious, has a #concussion, and will not return. Always sad to see. I’ll lose my mind if they play him next week,” Nowinski wrote on Twitter/X.
Robertson was replaced in the game by rookie Jakorian Bennett, who has struggled all season and could be in especially tough shape if he starts against the Dolphins’ high-powered defense in Week 11.
Celebration More Common Now for Raiders
As for Amik Robertson in Week 10, he had plenty to cheer for. And it was a distinct feature of the team’s performance against the Jets that the players—stars and grunts alike—were constantly pulling for each other over the court of the game.
That was not happening under Josh McDaniels. It is Pierce’s goal to change that, though. More than making a run to the playoffs or setting a bar for wins, Pierce just wants to get the team’s chemistry right, he said.
“I don’t think we’re worried about making a run. What we’re doing is page-by-page, step-by-step, not cheating the process,” Pierce said on Monday. “We can’t get too far ahead of ourselves. Obviously, the belief is getting there. Believing in one another. Trusting one another. Being accountable to one another. Playing for one another. And being together.
“Look, we’ll count the wins at the end of the season, but right now, we’re still trying to build that foundation of our team and our locker room.”
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Raiders Coach Gives Injury Update on CB Amik Robertson After ‘Scary Moment’