Raiders lose Denzelle Good for season

The Raiders’ season-opening win over the Baltimore Ravens on Monday night came at a physical price, as a handful of key players went down with injuries.

This much is known: Right guard Denzelle Good suffered a torn ACL and is out for the season, according to a person with knowledge of the situation.

Meanwhile, the status of quarterback Marcus Mariota (quad), defensive linemen Yannick Ngakoue (hamstring) and Gerald McCoy (knee) — all of whom were forced out of Monday’s game — is still being determined.

“We’re still trying to get some determination on who’s going to be available for us this week,” Raiders head coach Jon Gruden said as the Raiders prepared for Sunday’s game in Pittsburgh against the Steelers. “So our preparation right now is a little bit cloudy.”

Jermaine Eluemunor replaced Good in the lineup on Monday and could get the nod against the Steelers if veteran Richie Incognito isn’t cleared to play. Incognito, who missed Monday’s game with a calf strain, would start alongside his replacement, John Simpson, if he gets clearance.

If not, Eluemunor and Simpson will likely get the starting nods.

Mariota got hurt on his only play of the game — a 31-yard run in the first quarter — and was lost for the remainder of the game. It’s been an open secret that Mariota would have more of a role in the Raiders’ offense this year, one that took advantage of his legs and arm.

But it’s been a challenge trying to keep him healthy, as Monday showed when he re-aggravated the quad injury he suffered in camp. That injury eliminated an element of the offense Gruden had been anxious to use.

“We lost a big part of our offense,” Gruden said. “Hopefully it’s not going to linger on.”

Not injury-related but also newsworthy Monday was the use of 2020 first-round pick Damon Arnette and 2019 first-rounder Cle Ferrell. The Raiders, who used 19 players on defense against the Ravens, played Arnette one defensive snap and designated Ferrell, who did not even suit up, as a healthy scratch.

Their inactivity is an indictment on Gruden and Mayock’s recent first-round picks, but also confirmation of the pledge Gruden made at the start of training camp that the best players would play, regardless of draft status.

In the case of Ferrell, Gruden indicated a back issue the third-year defensive end is dealing with contributed to his game-day status.

“His time is coming. He’ll return to the lineup probably this week,” Gruden said. “Hopefully he’s feeling better and gets back to the form he had earlier last year and his rookie season.”

Gruden was not asked about Arnette.

On the rebuilt offensive line, the Raiders endured an up and down night, with stretches of solid play from rookie right tackle Alex Leatherwood and new center Andre James tinged with some glaring mistakes.

James was called for two holding penalties and delivered an errant shotgun snap to Derek Carr that went for a 15-yard loss. Leatherwood was beaten badly for a sack and was flagged for an illegal procedure at the goal line in overtime.

In between, they held up well in pass protection in spite of not playing with the starting guard tandem of Incognito and Good. While Carr was sacked three times, he also attempted 56 passes.

“We were pleased,” Gruden said. “We have watched the Ravens all through the summer and for the last few weeks, and they have their way with a lot of teams. We’re happy with the initial game of our players.”

Contact Vincent Bonsignore at vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com. Follow @VinnyBonsignore on Twitter