The Las Vegas Raiders are a lot healthier than most other teams at this juncture of the 2025 NFL season in terms of pure numbers. But the Raiders have suffered several pivotal injuries to their best players that have held them back even more this year.
Star left tackle Kolton Miller has been out since the end of Week 4's game against the Chicago Bears, Brock Bowers missed several contests in the early part of the campaign, and Jackson Powers-Johnson was placed on Injured Reserve after Week 10.
There have been several other players who have missed a game here or there, but it's been mainly those key injuries that have plagued Las Vegas this year. In Week 13 against the Los Angeles Chargers, however, the Raiders will be without several more starters on offense.
Raiders without Michael Mayer, Jordan Meredith in AFC West clash
Before Sunday's game at SoFi Stadium, Las Vegas released its inactive list, and both starting interior offensive lineman Jordan Meredith and tight end Michael Mayer are out due to injuries. Meredith and Mayer are dealing with ankle injuries, which held them out or limited them in practice this week.
This will make life even more difficult for a Raiders team that is already down two starting offensive linemen, as they'll now have three backups in the lineup. Plus, Mayer is the team's best blocking tight end as well, so protection may be scarce on Sunday.
Geno Smith will need all of the time he can get in the pocket against a solid Chargers defensive line, but things now look even more bleak than before. It'll be interesting to see how new offensive coordinator Greg Olson and offensive line coach Brennan Carroll scheme around this.
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Obviously, Raider Nation doesn't have high hopes, as even at their best and fully healthy, they're unlikely to even compete with Los Angeles. But this injury news just dropped their chances of pulling off an upset even lower on Sunday.
Joining Meredith and Mayer on the inactives list are Darnay Holmes and Zamir White, both of whom have an illness. Adam Butler, who also had an illness, will play against Los Angeles in Week 13, however.
Aidan O'Connell will serve as the team's emergency third quarterback, and both Tonka Hemingway and Jamin Davis will be healthy scratches. Maxx Crosby, Tyler Lockett, and Tre Tucker, all of whom popped up on the injury report this week, will play Sunday.