Getty Jakobi Meyers, Raiders
It’s been trending this way all week, but still it’s a blow now that it has been confirmed: The Raiders officially ruled wide receiver Jakobi Meyers out for Week 2 in Buffalo with a concussion. Meyers missed the entire week of practice and, along with defensive end Chandler Jones, will not be available to the Raiders on Sunday, according to the Raiders’ injury report.
Meyers is coming off a big performance in Week 1, his first game of his Broncos career. He tallied two touchdowns, 81 yards and nine catches on 10 targets, but it was his catch over the middle on a third-and-8 play with three minutes to go in the game and the Raiders clinging to a one-point lead that helped Las Vegas drain the clock and keep the victory.
Defensive back Kareem Jackson hit Meyers on the play, and was called for an unnecessary roughness, adding 15 critical yards to the Raiders’ gain. But it was a costly gain—Meyers left that game and now will miss Week 2.
“Jakobi is a really good football player. If he’s not available, then everybody has to step up and give themselves great opportunities to produce,” coach Josh McDaniels said Friday, per the Raiders website.
“And that’s a good thing for them, you know what I mean?”
Is Hunter Renfrow the Next Man Up?
Who, exactly, will step up in place of Meyers remains a question in Las Vegas (or, at least, in West Virginia, where the team is practicing). The most sensible guess would be Hunter Renfrow, the erstwhile Pro Bowl receiver who has struggled to mesh into McDaniels’ offense over the past year-plus. Renfrow had 103 catches for 1,038 yards in 2021, but injuries and fit limited him to 36 catches and 303 yards in 2022.
In Week 1 he played a career-low 13 snaps and not only did not catch a pass, he was not even targeted for one.
Renfrow has tried to stay positive.
“Sometimes, not getting the ball and not getting throw at, you can still help the team win. I feel like I did that. … My goal is to be ready when my number is called, but also to help my teammates.”
It’s possible that Renfrow won’t even be the beneficiary of Meyers’ absence. Star receiver Davante Adams should see a spike in production, after he tallied six catches and 66 yards in the opener. Keep an eye, too, on sixth-year journeyman receiver DeAndre Carter, who caught one pass in Week 1 for five yards.
Carter also began the week on the injury report, with an injured knee. But he went from not participating in Wednesday’s practice to full practice on Friday, and is ready for Buffalo. He played 10 snaps in Week 1.
Raiders WR Depth Will Be Taested
No matter what receiver picks up Meyers’ slack, McDaniels said success in the league often depends, as a team, on having depth and, as an individual, taking advantage of others’ injuries.
It could be that more than one receiver gets that chance on Sunday.
“That’s what the National Football League is about; we won’t have any more weeks where we don’t have somebody that’s banged up,” McDaniels said. “The season has begun, and the injuries will happen as nature takes it course and other people have opportunities here to go out there and produce.”