Oakland Raiders Week 5 Injury Report: Raiders Will Have Top Receivers Back Against Ravens, But Still Lacking Key Players
By Shawn Lealos
The Oakland Raiders have suffered some tough injuries so far this season. They opened the year by signing veteran kicker Sebastian Janikowski to a new deal only to place him on the IR with an injured back. Then, after scoring three touchdowns in the Raiders' second game of the season, Michael Crabtree went down with a chest injury. Now, the worst possible injury has hit Oakland as quarterback Derek Carr went down with a back injury last week in the Raiders' loss to the Denver Broncos.
Here is a look at the Oakland Raiders injury report heading into their Week 5 game against the Baltimore Ravens.
Derek Carr
Last Sunday, Derek Carr took a hard blow to the back and ended up leaving the game with a fracture in his back. It appeared that Carr was out for up to six weeks, according to Jack Del Rio. After the injury, Carr said that he was sorry he was injured and he was working to come back soon. Incredibly, Carr is not listed as out for the Week 5 matchup with the Ravens and is instead listed as questionable. He also took part in limited practice on Thursday and Friday.
That is because Friday brought some amazing news. Carr took part in throwing some passes in practice and told reporters after practice that he is "very ahead of schedule." Carr won't start in Week 5 and the Raiders will go with new backup quarterback E.J. Manuel in this big home game. According to reports, the six weeks might end up being just two weeks if Carr continues to progress.
When Manuel replaced Carr last week, he completed 64.7 percent of his passes for 106 yards and an interception. Over his career, he has 19 touchdowns and 16 interceptions but has not been a regular starter since his rookie season in 2013.
Michael Crabtree
The good news for EJ Manuel is that he has the Oakland Raiders' top receiver Michael Crabtree back in the starting lineup. In Week 2, the last time the Raiders won, Crabtree caught six passes for 80 yards and three touchdowns. He only caught one pass against the Washington Redskins and missed the game last week against the Broncos. Crabtree finally returned to practice full time on Thursday and is not on the injured report heading into the Ravens game. Fellow receiver Amari Cooper, who was dealing with a knee injury, is also full time again and off the report, giving Manuel his top two receiving weapons.
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are missing defensive tackle Brandon Williams with a foot injury and their tight end Maxx Williams with an ankle injury. They also likely won't be seeing cornerback Jaylen Hill playing in the game either. Williams is the biggest loss. Since his injury, the Ravens have given up 84.5 more yards rushing per game because the linebackers are not good enough to cover for his absence. This could be good news for Marshawn Lynch, who has struggled to find lanes the last two weeks.
Oakland Raiders Injury Report
Questionable
- David Amerson (CB) – Concussion – limited practice
- Derek Carr (QB) – Back – limited practice
- Garson Conley (CB) – Shin – limited practice
- Gabe Jackson (G) – Foot – limited practice
- DeAndre Washington (RB) – Hamstring – limited practice
