The 2021 season is starting to get away from the Las Vegas Raiders as they have been unable to string together multiple victories in a row after a hot start.
After snapping a three-game skid with a quality win over the Dallas Cowboys, the Raiders turned around and lost a heartbreaker to the Washington Football Team at home. Fortunately, at 6-6, Las Vegas is still in the mix for a Wild Card spot due to several teams in the AFC faltering down the stretch, but time is certainly not on their side.
To make matters worse for the Raiders, injuries have started to take a toll on the team. Las Vegas has a pivotal Week 14 game against the Kansas City Chiefs, and they will be down two key contributors as Darren Waller and Denzel Perryman have been ruled out.
#Raiders have officially ruled Denzel Perryman (ankle) out. He joins Darren Waller (back/knee), Patrick Onwuasor (hamstring), Jalen Richard (COVID-19) and Carl Nassib (knee) as guys who won't suit up against the Chiefs.
— Tashan Reed (@tashanreed) December 11, 2021
Waller missed their Week 13 tilt against Washington due to a knee injury, and while he was upgraded to day-to-day afterward, he did not practice all week and will miss a second consecutive game. Meanwhile, Perryman has been dealing with an ankle injury he suffered in the third quarter against the Football Team and was trending toward missing the game.
The Silver and Black are extremely short-handed, and their matchup against the Chiefs could get ugly as they are as close to healthy as possible and have surged in recent weeks. Kansas City has still not quite resembled their explosive selves on offense, but their defense has perked up and been one of the best units during their winning streak. The Raiders have their work cut out for them if they hope to win and stay in the playoff mix.
