The Oakland Raiders have been bit by the injury bug at the wrong time, as they looked poised to make a Super Bowl run with quarterback Derek Carr playing at an MVP caliber level.
Carr went down with a broken fibula though, and backup Matt McGloin is also dealing with a shoulder injury, leaving rookie Connor Cook to make his first career start in Saturday’s Wildcard game against the Houston Texans.
The Raiders offensive line, led by Pro Bowlers Donald Penn, Rodney Hudson and Kelechi Osemele, has been among the best in football as they have given up a league low 18 sacks.
As a unit they have stayed healthy for pretty much the entire season, but with the postseason approaching they are a little banged up.
Head coach Jack Del Rio said that Penn in particular has missed practice the last two days with a knee injury, via James Palmer of NFL Network:
JDR on Donald Penn: "he didn't go again today. We'll see at the end of the week."
— James Palmer (@JamesPalmerTV) January 5, 2017
Penn, who starts at left tackle, is an essential part of the Raiders offensive line as he has allowed just one sack all season. Unfortunately that was the sack that broke Carr’s fibula, but his play in both the pass and run game has been stellar all season.
With just one more day until the game the knee injury is a bit concerning, but it would take a lot for Penn to miss the game Saturday as the 33-year-old has never missed a game in his 10-year career.
