Raiders report: 3 starters out for Saturday’s game
Raiders report
Schedule
All practices at Intermountain Healthcare Performance Center, unless noted:
Friday — Off
Saturday — at Cleveland Browns, FirstEnergy Stadium, 1:30 p.m.
Sunday — Off
Monday — Rich Bisaccia news conference, 1 p.m.
Tuesday — Off
Wednesday — Practice, 11 a.m.
Thursday — Practice, 11 a.m.
Friday — Practice, 11 a.m.
Saturday — Off
Sunday — vs. Denver Broncos, Allegiant Stadium, 1:25 p.m.
Quote of the day
The forecast continues to call for rain in Cleveland on Saturday afternoon turning to snow in the evening.
Interim coach Rich Bisaccia said Thursday the team is doing what it can to prepare for the precipitation that’s expected when the Raiders take the field against the Browns.
It’s not completely new in this series. The Raiders and Browns played in nasty conditions in the same stadium a year ago.
A cold spell in Las Vegas could help acclimate the team to the temperatures that are expected on Lake Erie this weekend. But there was no rain in the valley on Thursday, so the team had to get creative at practice by spraying the footballs with water.
“We had some wet ball drills,” Bisaccia said. “Hopefully the winds won’t be crazy or ridiculous. I mean we both had to play in that weather last year. We went through the full gamut of sun and snow and sleet and rain and wind and all that. So I think gameday it’s the same for both teams. Hopefully, we’ll do a good job of adjusting to whatever weather we get.”
Injury report
Three key players were officially declared out for Saturday’s game by the Raiders when the final injury report of the week was released on Thursday.
Star tight end Darren Waller will miss his third straight game with knee and back injuries. Linebacker Denzel Perryman, one of the league leaders in tackles, will miss a second consecutive game with an ankle injury and cornerback Trayvon Mullen is out with a toe injury. Mullen just returned from injured reserve last week.
The only other player to carry an injury designation into the game is defensive end Carl Nassib, who was limited in practice all week with a knee injury.
Bisaccia expressed optimism linebacker Patrick Onwuasor (hamstring) and tight end Foster Moreau (abdomen) would be cleared to play. Neither player carries an official designation.
As for Waller, he was spotted working out on a side field during the portion of practice open to media. It’s another step in the process of getting back on the field, but Bisaccia didn’t have a timeline for when he may be able to play again.
Get a grip
Perhaps the most confounding part of last week’s blowout loss to Kansas City was that the Raiders lost four fumbles.
The one interception Carr threw may as well have also been considered a fumble since it was a bobbled pass right into the hands of a defender.
No other team has lost four fumbles in a game this season. The Raiders had only lost three all season before Sunday. Bisaccia doesn’t believe the problem will linger this week.
“I just think we did a poor job protecting the ball,” he said. “I think we were trying to pluck and tuck at times, and they did a good job of knocking it out. You got to give them some credit as well. They bang at the ball and the team we are getting ready to play in Cleveland does a really job of that too.
“I think they are plus-two in turnovers. I think they have 11 picks. I know they’ve knocked the ball out a bunch, so we’re expecting that again. And to some degree we opened Pandora’s box. We just have to do a better job at doing our part and that’s protecting the football.”
Adam Hill Las Vegas Review-Journal
