The Las Vegas Raiders are getting desperate for a win. After starting the season 3-0, the team has dropped three in a row.
Before the season, this Week 7 matchup against the Los Angeles Rams looked like a surefire loss. The Rams are perennial Super Bowl contenders and made some big additions this offseason.
However, Los Angeles is coming off an ugly loss against the Arizona Cardinals and is currently 2-4. To make matters worse, the team is very banged up. Star wide receiver Puka Nacua had to leave practice early this week with an injury, star cornerback Trent McDuffie is also questionable and that’s not to mention Davante Adams and Myles Garrett being on Injured Reserve.
While the Rams are increasingly banged up, the Raiders are getting back a key player. Head coach Klint Kubiak announced on Friday that defensive tackle Tonka Hemingway has been cleared to play.
He had to miss last game against the Buffalo Bills as he was in the concussion protocol. Hemingway has started five games for the Raiders this season, so not having him in Week 6 was a big loss. He hasn’t made any splash plays this season, but he’s a young player who is still improving. The Raiders will be happy to have him back against a Rams team that may need to rely on the run with their top two wide receivers possibly being out.
Raiders Optimistic on Mike Washington Jr.
The Raiders’ running game hasn’t been ineffective this season. The only running back who has been able to gain yards is rookie Mike Washington Jr.
Unfortunately, he popped up on the injury report and hasn’t been able to practice. Luckily, he’s not ruled out yet. Kubiak is expecting Washington to play against the Rams.
“We’re expecting him to be ready,” Kubiak said of Washington.
Rams DC Praises Kubiak
Kubiak should be pretty familiar with this Rams team, having coached against them three times last season as the offensive coordinator for the Seattle Seahawks. The last time he played against the Rams, his offense put up 31 points in the NFC Championship game.
Defensive coordinator Chris Shula was around for those matchups last season, and he has a lot of respect for Kubiak and the talent he has to work with.
“He was in New Orleans a couple of years ago and you see he does a great job,” Shula said, via Raiders.com. “You can see obviously it’s his offense. You see a lot of the concepts and a lot of the stuff that they did at those places. … I think he does one of the best jobs in the league at matching the offense to the personnel and the skill sets that they have. There are certain things at other places that he would do based on the personnel that they have and there are certain things at the Raiders that he’s doing, obviously with some of the great players with [Brock] Bowers and those great backs that he has. I think he’s one of the best in the league at what he does and it’s a huge challenge.”
Raiders Announce That Key Starter Will Return From Injury vs. Rams