The Oakland Raiders were one of the hottest teams in football going into Week 12, but that came to a quick halt as they were blown out by the New York Jets on the road.
To make matters worse, the Raiders did not come out of the game healthy despite benching most of their starters for the entire fourth quarter when the game was essentially out of reach.
Raiders rookie wide receiver Hunter Renfrow took a couple of hard hits in the game and it turns out he suffered an injury because of it. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network is reporting that he suffered a broken rib and punctured lung in the loss:
#Raiders WR Hunter Renfrow broke a rib and punctured his lung in Sunday’s loss to the #Jets, sources say. Just a rookie, Renfrow has quickly developed into a key weapon for QB Derek Carr. It’s unclear at this point how long he’ll be out.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 25, 2019
While Raiders head coach Jon Gruden would not confirm the exact injury during Monday’s practice, he did recognize that it is serious and Renfrow is not expected back any time soon, via Myles Simmons of the Las Vegas Review-Journal:
#Raiders HC Jon Gruden confirms Hunter Renfrow hurt his rib and will be out for “a while.” Declines to go into specifics until he has more clarity, but says it’s “a big, big loss.”
— Myles Simmons (@MylesASimmons) November 25, 2019
This is obviously a tough break for the Raiders and Renfrow, who was in the midst of a solid rookie season that may now be coming to an end.
Renfrow really began to build some chemistry with Derek Carr in recent weeks. In 11 games this season, the slot receiver has 36 receptions for 396 yards and two touchdowns. He had four or more catches in four of the last five weeks.
With Renfrow no longer in the mix, the Raiders will likely turn to a variety of players at the slot receiver position. Undrafted rookie Keelan Doss is expected to see the largest uptick in playing time.
