The Oakland Raiders are fresh off their second straight victory, this time coming against their division rivals in the Los Angeles Chargers on Thursday Night Football. The Raiders’ defense shined early and often to help carry the team to the 26-24 victory to move to 5-4 on the season.
One player that had a somewhat quiet game was defensive leader Lamarcus Joyner as he finished with only 3 solo tackles. The secondary as a whole was great on the night though, intercepting Phillip Rivers three times on the night.
The final interception came on the last drive of the night with the Raiders holding a slim lead. Joyner got injured a play before, hurting what looked to be his hamstring and was off the field, but Karl Joseph came up with the big play to earn his team a victory.
Unfortunately, Jospeh was injured on that play as well. After the game, Raiders head coach Jon Gruden said he is worried about both injuries, via Scott Blair of NBC Sports Bay Area:
Raiders coach Jon Gruden said he was worried about Lamarcus Joyner. Got hurt late. Also mentioned Karl Joseph, who had the game sealing pick.
— Scott Bair (@BairNBCS) November 8, 2019
Even though Joyner may not stand out on the stat sheet, he has always been a veteran presence for the Raiders game in and game out. Although there is no telling how long Joyner may be out, the Raiders have 10 days until they have to hit the field again.
Joseph’s leg injury seems to be more worrisome as he was seen in the locker room after the game on crutches. According to Jimmy Durkin of The Athletic, Joseph is unsure how serious the injury is:
Karl Joseph said, “I hope I’m all right. We’ll see.” Got banged up on the interception.
— Jimmy Durkin (@Jimmy_Durkin) November 8, 2019
Joseph, on if he thinks 10 days off will be enough for him: "Hopefully, man. We need it. I think I’m gonna need it. Hopefully everything’s all right, but I think we all need it. It’s been a long, long road stretch for us. We finally get a couple days off and get back to work."
— Jimmy Durkin (@Jimmy_Durkin) November 8, 2019
The Raiders have been plagued by a number of injuries throughout the course of the season so this is nothing new. The secondary, in particular, cannot afford to lose two starters though, so the hope is that the extended time off is enough to get both Joyner and Joseph healthy.
Oakland’s next two games are against the Cincinnati Bengals and New York Jets, two teams that have combined for one win. Because of that, they can give both players as much time as necessary to get 100 percent healthy.
