On Thanksgiving Day, the Las Vegas Raiders picked up a massive, potentially season-saving win against the Dallas Cowboys. However, tight end Darren Waller and edge rusher Carl Nassib both suffered knee injuries that knocked them out of the game.
Luckily, both injuries were minor enough that being out for the season is not a consideration. Unfortunately, when it comes to knee ailments, season-ending is usually the norm. So now, the Raiders look ahead to their Week 13 matchup against the Washington Football Team to see if they’ll have Waller and Nassib back.
Raiders head coach Rich Bisaccia did not sound highly optimistic when discussing the statuses of Waller and Nassib for Sunday’s matchup. “Darren Waller right now is week-to-week. Carl Nassib is also week-to-week,” Bisaccia said before moving to other injured players. “It’s possible that we can get Nick Kwiatkoski back this week. We’re hoping so. He had a good weekend working out.”
“And Keisean Nixon is still a little bit week-to-week. We’ll see how he does as this week goes on. Trayvon Mullen Jr. has kind of moved into the week-to-week category. Not sure if he’ll get activated to the 21-day deal this week or not. That’s kind of where we are at this particular point.”
Of course, every team is currently dealing with several injuries. But for this to come after a huge win where the team can finally recollect some of their momentum feels like frustrating timing. Waller is one of the best pass-catchers in football, and Nassib has had a solid year putting pressure on opposing quarterbacks.
Given the hectic nature of the playoff standings, the Raiders cannot afford to take losses this late in the year. Obviously, it’s difficult to run the table, but they might need to in order to surpass the Los Angeles Chargers and Denver Broncos, both of whom they’re tied with.
Nassib and Waller are both currently designated at doubtful. We’ll see how this progresses throughout the week.
Mark Davis focusing on playoffs, not head coach
Questions have begun to circulate about who the next head coach of the Raiders might be. However, that is not where Mark Davis is putting his energy, as that can always be figured out during the offseason. He says he is focused on the team’s playoff push, which is still very much alive after their win against the Cowboys.
