The Las Vegas Raiders are spiraling at the moment. While the season’s far from over, the injuries have piled up, in particular, on the offensive side.
The most devastating loss to hit the Silver and Black was to fullback Alec Ingold. The leader of the Raiders’ run game suffered a torn ACL during Sunday Night Football. With so much concern surrounding a run game that’s been trending downward, losing Ingold couldn’t have come at the worst time.
Fullbacks are often the most overlooked players on the field but make no mistake, Ingold was a key cog in the offense. His presence, in both the passing and running game, can’t just be replaced overnight. The second injury on offense that the Raiders sustained was to Jalen Richard. The backup running back suffered cracked ribs during the game. While his production hasn’t been eye-popping, potentially losing Richard further depletes the Raiders’ backfield.
#Raiders running back Jalen Richard has cracked ribs and is headed to the hospital, per source. The injury is in addition to the one suffered by fullback Alec Ingold, who is feared to have suffered a torn ACL according to an NFL Network report.
— Tashan Reed (@tashanreed) November 15, 2021
Still no Incognito…
While Richie Incognito hasn’t seen the field in 2021, the fact he’s been out has hurt the Silver and Black. The run game hasn’t been anywhere the same as in previous years, though losing Denzelle Good has also contributed to that. All season long has been a constant update of disappointing news surrounding Incognito, with an endless stream of ‘setbacks’ for the four-time Pro Bowl guard. Most recently, Raiders beat writer Vincent Bonsignore announced that Incognito had suffered another setback in his rehab.
Rich Bisaccia said expects Trayvon Mullen to return before Richie Incognito. He hopes Mullen will be back for the team’s Dec 5 game against WFT which means at least mid-Dec before Incognito returns. Reminder Gruden once said he hoped Incognito would be ready for the opener.
— Levi Damien (@LeviDamien) November 10, 2021
The team could still use Incognito, especially if he can return by December 5th, as coach Rich Bisaccia is currently hoping. Regardless, it’s clear that Incognito is no longer a long-term answer. Years of wear and tear have caught up to the guard, and it would behoove the Raiders to draft a long-term replacement next April.
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*Top Photo: Ethan Miller/Getty Images
