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There was a glimmer of hope that the Las Vegas Raiders would come out of an injury-riddled Week 2 relatively unscathed. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. The team announced on Friday that first-round pick Henry Ruggs will be sitting out for the upcoming matchup against the New England Patriots with knee and hamstring issues.
Ruggs suffered a scary injury in Week 1 against the Carolina Panthers but was able to tough it out for Week 2. He didn’t seem to suffer any additional injuries against the New Orleans Saints but it looks like he tweaked his hamstring. That, in addition to his knee, likely made it a little risky for him to play.
While he hasn’t made a splash on the stat sheets just yet, his impact as a deep threat can’t be understated. Also, if he doesn’t get the pass interference call toward the end of the Saints game, the Raiders might not pull off the win. The wide receiver is still figuring out his chemistry with Derek Carr so it’s a problem he can’t be on the field. With the team facing a tough Patriots defense on Sunday, Ruggs is going to be sorely missed.
Trent Brown & Nick Kwiatkoski Out
The Raiders also decided to rule out Pro Bowl right tackle Trent Brown. That move shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise considering he didn’t play last week. However, it was notable that the Raiders haven’t put him on the injured reserve yet. Though he won’t be ready to face off against his former team, perhaps he’s nearing a return. Denzelle Good has played well in his absence but the Raiders would definitely like to see their richest player make his way back on the field.
Perhaps the biggest blow for the Raiders is that starting middle linebacker and team captain Nick Kwiatkoski will be out once again. The team’s defense has struggled quite a bit this season and they need better play from their linebackers. Kwiatkoski looked strong in his brief action in Week 1. It’s also notable that he hasn’t been placed on injured reserve yet. He should be back on the field soon.
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Additional Injuries
This season has not been kind to the Raiders so far. Denzelle Good, Darren Waller, Josh Jacobs and Sam Young were all listed as questionable. Fortunately, Jacobs and Waller appear to be good to go, according to Adam Caplan.
Missing Jacobs or Waller in addition to Ruggs could be potentially devastating to the offense. If they weren’t able to play, the offense could be in trouble. 2020 has been a bad year for injuries so far. Luckily, the Raiders haven’t had any notable players go down for the year outside of Tyrell Williams. It’s early in the season so the team is likely to be more cautious with some key players. Jacobs and Waller are very tough so while their injuries are concerning, there doesn’t appear to be a reason to be concerned just yet.
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