The Las Vegas Raiders have been a relatively healthy team during the 2025 NFL season. Whether fans want to thank Tom Brady's close friend and team Wellness Coordinator Alex Guerrero or chalk it up to dumb luck, it has been a major benefit for the Silver and Black.
Winning games or having any semblance of success hasn't exactly come from it, but health is wealth in the NFL, and it's a good thing that, for most of the year, the Raiders avoided major injuries. But Las Vegas' injury attrition picked up at the end of the campaign, and the team is now unrecognizable.
Ahead of last week's "Tank Bowl" against the New York Giants, the Raiders sidelined several key starters, placing them on Injured Reserve. Before their season finale against the Kansas City Chiefs, Las Vegas put a handful of other players on the shelf due to injury.
Raiders missing 12 Week 1 starters in season finale vs. Chiefs
In addition to players like Maxx Crosby, Brock Bowers, Kolton Miller and Jeremy Chinn being on IR, the Raiders ruled out Geno Smith, Adam Butler and Dylan Parham in Week 18 with an ankle injury, a biceps injury and an illness, respectively. Raheem Mostert is also out with a knee and ankle injury.
By our tally, that leaves only 10 of Las Vegas' 22 starters from Week 1's game against the New England Patriots. As mentioned, Crosby, Bowers, Miller, Chinn, Smith, Butler and Parham will all be in street clothes this Sunday.
Jordan Meredith is also on IR; however, as are Jackson Powers-Johnson and Kyu Blu Kelly. Jakobi Meyers was traded long ago, and Germaine Pratt was released after Week 5. That's 12 opening day starters not suiting up for the Raiders in Week 18.
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Among the starters remaining are Ashton Jeanty, D.J. Glaze, Tre Tucker and Dont'e Thornton Jr. on offense, even though the latter has been relegated to a backup role. Defensively, it'll be Eric Stokes, Isaiah Pola-Mao, Malcolm Koonce, Devin White, Elandon Roberts and Thomas Booker IV.
Things obviously change during the course of an NFL season, but what a dramatic shift this has been for the Silver and Black. It's not like the fan base has much interest in winning, unless the No. 1 pick is sewn up by kickoff. But it would be nice to at least see a solid performance to end the year.
So many injuries and absences should pave the way for the Raiders' young players to get significant action in Week 18. With Pete Carroll at the helm, hopefully for the last time, however, that is always in question. But this team will look nothing on Sunday like it did just a few months ago.