With just a few days before the Oakland Raiders host the New York Jets on Sunday, Sept. 25 at O.co Coliseum, will injuries that have plagued more than a few of the Silver and Black's players prevent them from defeating the Jets?
The Raiders have a lot of obstacles to overcome during their home opener at the Coliseum, including the notorious penalty problem and the way their defense looked against the Bills last Sunday. Another factor to consider is injuries.
As of Thursday morning, Sept. 22, there is a rather long list of players on the injury report. Sebastian Janikowski(notes), whom I and many others consider to be the best kicker in the NFL, was listed as being limited at practice due to an issue with his left foot.
If there is any one player we need, it's Janikowski, but it's likely that he'll be in the game Sunday and just giving it some rest before the big game. For those who are wondering, Janikowski does kick with his left foot.
Safety Mike Mitchell(notes) is another story. The Raiders certainly need the coverage help, and we can't afford to miss this solid player. He was not at practice at all on Wednesday, and with a knee injury, the odds for him to be in Sunday's game is pretty slim. In addition, Jacoby Ford will probably be out of this one and possibly the next, with the hamstring injury that he suffered in the game against Denver. Although he is a great player, the team shouldn't experience too much of a negative impact without Ford.
Even quarterback Jason Campbell(notes) and running back Darren McFadden(notes) had limited practice time on Wednesday, but they should be ready to go Sunday. Missing either of those players would really make our chances slim, and I would hate to even talk about that situation.
Tight end Kevin Boss(notes) is expected to finally return to the game against the Jets, which is some of the best news we could have hoped to hear. He was at practice Wednesday and will likely have a tremendous impact in the home opener. Boss could be just what the doctor ordered, and I'm excited to see him return.
The New York Jets are dealing with an even longer list of injured players than the Raiders. Logan Payne(notes) and Robert Turner(notes) are definitely out, and starting safeties Eric Smith(notes) and Jim Leonhard(notes) both have hamstring and ankle injuries, respectively, which could be a negative factor of the Jets on Sunday.
The Jets may not have a lot to care about in this game, but the Raiders do. The team, including the defense, is going out to redeem themselves, especially in front of thousands of passionate fans at the home opener in Oakland.
Even if I wasn't one of the biggest Raiders fans in the world, I'd predict an Oakland win on Sunday.
Raiders 31, Jets 28.
