Despite an injury that Las Vegas Raiders guard Richie Incognito sustained in Week 2, the team’s offensive line held its ground.
After only playing 11 snaps against the New Orleans Saints, Incognito went down with an Achille’s injury during the opening game at Allegiant Stadium. Losing the Pro Bowl guard could’ve spelled disaster for the Raiders but the unit held fast and helped lead the way to victory. It seems that general manager Mike Mayock’s decision to draft John Simpson by way of Clemson is already paying dividends. Simpson played well on Monday night, considering that substituting for Incognito is no easy task. His most notable contribution was in helping the running game, scoring a 53.8 run-blocking grade per Pro Football Focus.
Related: Raiders Overcome Slow Start to Beat Saints 34-24 in Week 2
For Incognito, the concern is whether he will miss extended time or if his injury could be something serious. Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reported that Incognito’s Achilles lesion appears to be more aggregation than anything. No doubt the Raiders can breathe easy after an NFL Sunday that had several major injuries. For now, the Silver and Black have been able to avoid such a circumstance.
It’s my understanding OG Richie Incognito’s Achilles issue from #MNF is not serious, more an aggravation. With torn Achilles happening around league, that’s a welcome sign for Raiders.
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) September 22, 2020
Raiders Have Dodged a Bullet…
Raider Nation can breathe easy knowing Incognito will return at some point soon. While Simpson proved to be up to the task as a rookie, the 2-0 Raiders need ’64’ for the long run. According to PFF, he’s already off to a dominant season, ranked third among all guards and has an 86.2 pass-blocking grade. As the competition for the Raiders picks up these coming weeks, it’ll be vital for their offensive line to remain intact.
Richie Incognito is reportedly questionable to return to the game tonight.
Here is how he ranked in Week 1 among all Gs:
– 87.6 overall grade (3rd)
– 86.2 pass block grade (5th)
– 81.8 run block grade (6th)#RaiderNation pic.twitter.com/rDIpq6J97k— PFF Las Vegas Raiders (@PFF_Raiders) September 22, 2020
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*Top Photo: L.E. Baskow/Las Vegas Review-Journal