The Las Vegas Raiders got their 2023 season started on the right foot in Week 1. They went on the road to face their AFC West rivals, the Denver Broncos and left the Mile High City with a 17-16 victory.
Things aren’t going to get any easier for the Raiders in Week 2, as they will be heading east to take on the Buffalo Bills. Buffalo will be motivated in their home opener after dropping their season opener on Monday Night Football against the New York Jets.
The biggest news to come out of that Bills’ game was the injury to the Jets’ star quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers will miss the remainder of the season with a torn left Achilles. Just like against New York, Buffalo could have some injury advantages when Las Vegas comes to town.
The Raiders are currently dealing with a number of issues in the injury department. Numerous key pieces were missing from practice to start the week, which is never an encouraging sign. All three players are on offense as well.
According to Ari Meirov on X, formerly known as Twitter, star wide receiver Davante Adams was absent from practice on Wednesday because of a foot injury. Starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo was also not participating in practice because of an ankle injury.
Most concerning is likely wide receiver Jakobi Meyers. He was placed in the league’s concussion protocol, meaning he will have numerous hurdles to get over before he is cleared to return to the field.
The Garppolo-Meyers connection was working brilliantly against the Broncos in Week 1. With Adams doing battle with Patrick Surtain II most of the afternoon, Garoppolo locked onto Meyers and found a ton of success.
Meyers caught nine passes for 81 yards and two touchdowns, getting his Raiders’ career off to an excellent start. It would be a tough blow for him to be out of the lineup as he and Adams were essentially the entire passing offense.
Garoppolo attempted 26 passes in the game; 19 of them went to Meyers, who had 10 and Adams, who had the other nine. Hunter Renfrow, the team’s slot receiver before the arrival of Meyers, didn’t see the field much but would likely see an increased role should Meyers be unable to play.
