The Oakland Raiders will once again hit the road this weekend, as they travel to Indianapolis to take on the Colts, who could be without some key players.
The Oakland Raiders continue their tough road trip this weekend, as they go back to the Midwest to take on the Indianapolis Colts. Luckily for the Raiders, the Colts could be without three of their top players, as one was already ruled out, and two others could follow.
Star safety Malik Hooker is dealing with a knee issue, and he could be out a few weeks, leaving the Colts secondary a bit depleted. In a perfect world, that would lead the Raiders to take more shots downfield, which is something they have not been doing a lot of this season. Hooker is a special player, so him being out is huge.
Staying with the defensive side of the ball, another star could be out in Week 4 as well, as Darius Leonard is currently dealing with a concussion. Leonard burst onto the scene as a rookie last season, winning NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year honors, while also being named an All-Pro.
Leonard missed the team’s game against the Atlanta Falcons last weekend, a game the Colts won, but not having him in the middle of their defense could prove costly against Oakland in Week 4.
Offensively, T.Y. Hilton is quarterback Jacoby Brissett‘s favorite deep weapon, but he re-aggrevated his quad injury during the team’s win against the Falcons. Without him, the Colts will continue to focus on the tight ends, an area where this Raiders defense struggles to defend on a weekly basis.
Overall, the Colts have a ton of talent on their team, but these three players are crucial to what they like to do on both sides of the ball. For a Raiders team that has looked downright bad the last two weeks, they just might be getting the Colts at the right time.
Even without these guys in the lineup, this is a tough Week 4 matchup for the Raiders, who will continue their march away from RingCentral Coliseum. A win against Indianapolis would pull their record back to .500 with a trip to London on the horizon to face former Raiders star Khalil Mack and the Chicago Bears.