At 5-6, the Oakland Raiders are finally back in the AFC West title hunt. In their most recent win against the Denver Broncos, the Raiders finally showed some semblance of life on both ends with Marshawn Lynch looking more like his old self and NaVorro Bowman recording the team’s first interception of the 2017 NFL season.
However, the biggest story from the game involved Michael Crabtree and Aqib Talib as both players ignited a brawl in the first quarter. Crabtree and Talib got tangled up and after the play was blown dead the two continued to jostle with each other, resulting in both of them getting ejected.
Now, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the NFL has decided to suspend them both for two games:
NFL: Michael Crabtree of the Oakland Raiders and Aqib Talib of the Denver Broncos have been suspended without pay for two games each for violations of unsportsmanlike conduct and unnecessary roughness rules in Sunday’s game between the Raiders and Broncos.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 28, 2017
This is a huge blow for the Raiders as Crabtree is Derek Carr’s preferred red zone target. Crabtree’s suspension is also untimely given that Amari Cooper’s status for the next week is unclear as he is dealing with a possible concussion and leg injury.
If Crabtree is out for the next two weeks, Carr and the rest of the offense could find themselves struggling to move the ball. Regardless, Oakland needs to be prepared for their matchup in Week 13 against the New York Giants.
