An updated injury report for the Oakland Raiders as well as the Denver Broncos ahead of their Week 16 matchup.
In the regular season finale, the Oakland Raiders will head to Mile-High to take on the Denver Broncos for what could lead to a division title with a in, or a Wild Card spot with a loss and a Chiefs win.
Coming off of a Week 16 victory against the Indianapolis Colts, the Raiders played one of their most complete games. The real story though was the bevy of injuries the Raiders suffered, most notably, Derek Carr.
Raiders Injury Report:
Derek Carr – Did not participate (ankle)
Amari Cooper – Limited (shoulder)
Michael Crabtree – Limited (ankle)
Andre Holmes – Limited (shoulder)
Karl Joseph – Limited (toe)
Stacy McGee – Limited (groin)
Kelechi Osemele – Limited (knee)
Jalen Richard – Limited (shoulder)
Perry Riley Jr – Limited (hamstring)
Malcolm Smith – Limited (hamstring)
Austin Howard – Did not participate (shoulder)
The Raiders have more players on this injury report than anyone would like, especially since the playoffs are right around the corner. This game is extremely important considering if the Raiders were to pull out a win, they would be guaranteed a bye week going into the playoffs, and that would be huge for their health.
The one name to keep an eye on here would be Karl Joseph. Although Joseph has started practicing for the first time since December 2nd, he is not expected to play per Adam Caplan.
Another name to keep an eye on would be Kelechi Osemele. Osemele did not practice Wednesday nor Thursday, to some surprise. Osemele did miss a Wednesday practice last week, and would go on to play against the Colts. Could this just be rest for the Pro Bowler? That would be a yes. Osemele was good to go for the Friday practice and it appears K.O. will be good to go in Denver.
Stacy McGee is also another player who has been battling injuries all season. After overcoming an ankle issue, McGee now faces a groin issue. He has been listed as questionable.
The only players ruled out for the Raiders at this point are Austin Howard and Derek Carr. With Joseph being the next most likely player to join them on the inactive list.
Multiple skill position players appeared on the injury report this week — Cooper, Crabtree, Richard, Holmes — but you can expect them to be all active come Sunday.
Denver Injury Report:
Shaquil Barrett – Limited (ankle)
A.J. Derby – Out (concussion)
T.J. Ward – Out (concussion)
DeMarcus Ware – Out (back)
Kayvon Webster – Out (concussion)
Derek Wolfe – Out (neck)
Virgil Green – Limited (concussion)
Brandon Marshall – Limited (hamstring)
Matt Paradis – Limited (hip)
Sylvester Williams – Limited (shoulder)
Bennie Fowler – Full (knee)
Trevor Siemian – Full (foot)
Although this is a division rivalry, this is one of the more weird divisional games this year. It appears the Broncos have packed it in.
Most notably, the Broncos have officially ruled out T.J. Ward and Derek Wolfe — both key players at important positions, so expect the typically stout Denver defense to be a little softer than normal.
Denver has also put DeMarcus Ware on IR, as he is due to undergo back surgery. Ware can expect to have his tenure with the Broncos come to an end.
Although Brandon Marshall has been limited in practice, there is a general feeling he is not expected to play.
There are clearly high-profile players that are going to miss this Sunday’s game. If there were serious implications on the Broncos end, we could be assured that most of these players would have been good to go. It appears that the Broncos are mailing in the season and are giving some key starters extra rest going into the off-season.
With all that in consideration, the Raiders should still not take this team lightly. This is still a division game after all, and there have been weirder things that have happened when going up against a divisional opponent.
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