Raiders will be without speedy receiver Ruggs vs Patriots
AP Pro Football Writer | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 5 years, 2 months AGO
The Las Vegas Raiders will be without speedy rookie receiver Henry Ruggs III this week because of injuries to his knee and hamstring.
Ruggs was ruled out Friday for Sunday’s game against the New England Patriots, along with starting right tackle Trent Brown and linebacker Nick Kwiatkoski.
Brown has been sidelined by a calf injury since leaving the opener at Carolina after one series. Kwiatkoski injured his pectoral muscle later in that game and will miss his second straight week.
Running back Josh Jacobs (hip), star tight end Darren Waller (knee), tackle Sam Young (groin) and offensive lineman Denzelle Good (thumb, illness) are all listed as questionable this week.
The loss of Ruggs could be significant for a Raiders offense that has been very productive so far this season by scoring 34 points in each game.
Ruggs made an immediate impact with three catches for 55 yards and two runs for 11 yards in the first half of a season-opening 34-30 win at Carolina. He hurt his knee late in the half and wasn’t targeted once as a receiver after that.
Ruggs had just one catch for four yards last week in a 34-24 win over New Orleans but managed to attract coverage that opened up some underneath routes for quarterback Derek Carr to exploit. Ruggs also drew two pass interference calls, including one that set up a game-sealing field goal.
Ruggs’ absence should give more opportunities to Nelson Agholor and Zay Jones, who each have one TD catch in limited action this season.
The Raiders will once again need to juggle on the offensive line with Brown and starting left guard Richie Incognito out. Incognito left last week’s game with an Achilles injury and was placed on injured reserve for at least three games.
Young replaced Brown in the opener before leaving later that game with a groin injury. Good, normally a backup guard, filled in after that but is now dealing with his own injury.
He also could go back to his usual spot at guard this week in place of Incognito after rookie John Simpson stepped in last week against the Saints.
“It’s a mystery,” coach Jon Gruden said. “We don’t know who is up at any position, so we’re hoping we can find five starters that are healthy and ready to go.”
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