Let’s start by talking about one of this week’s remaining games.
According to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, the Chiefs‘ path to an eighth consecutive AFC West championship seems to be a little bit simpler today because the Raiders won’t have their star running back, Josh Jacobs. Jacobs, who began the season with Las Vegas, is now expected to miss a second straight game.
Jacobs sustained a quad injury the week before, which kept him out of last week’s game.
Due to a short week, he was unable to practice, and the team determined it would be best to proceed cautiously in order to avoid causing more harm.
The Raiders had been hoping that Jacobs would be able to return to the field this week, but in Week 16, a sickness and the healing quad made it inevitable that Jacobs would not be able to play.
In lieu of Jacobs during his absence the previous week, backup Zamir White made his first-ever start, carrying for 69 yards and a touchdown.
Following a bright beginning to his career, Jacobs’s final few years have been a little uneven. With just 872-yards this season, he trailed two seasons in which he rushed for a total 2,215 yards and 19 touchdowns,
but he was still finding the end zone frequently with nine scores. Following a disappointing season in which the Raiders decided not to take up his fifth-year option,
Jacobs went on to explode for 1,653 yards and 12 touchdowns to win the rushing title. With six touchdowns and a career-low 3.5 yards per carry this season, Jacobs has amassed 805 running yards.
After reaching a one-year contract with the Raiders, Jacobs was able to avoid using the franchise tag this season, but a long-term deal was still unattainable. Sadly,
when Jacobs heads into the offseason at the end of the season, his time missed due to injury toward the end of a poor season won’t do him any good.
A couple more injury updates from around the NFL are as follows:
Along with Jacobs, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports that left tackle Kolton Miller of Las Vegas is expected to return today as an active player,
although it looks like he might only be an emergency option on the offensive line. Miller has missed the last five games for the team.
The Raiders have experimented with switching starter right tackle Thayer Munford from the left side to the left while lining up backup lineman Jermaine Eluemunor on the opposite side in Munford’s absence. That pattern ought to carry over into Week 16.
In addition to the Vikings pass rusher D.J. Wonnum, who was hurt during yesterday’s game, the team also lost three more key players. Rising tight end T.J.
Hockenson, rookie wide out Jordan Addison (first round selection), and cornerback Mekhi Blackmon were all forced to leave the game early on Sunday.
This morning, ESPN’s Fowler reported that Hockenson’s prognosis is “not good.” Minnesota is prepared for negative news on the matter, even though the team is still holding out hope that his MRI would reveal something different.
According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Addison is expected to be sidelined for a week due to an ankle strain. The Vikings are hoping to learn more about the player following additional testing today.
Finally, according to Parker Gabriel of The Denver Post, Courtland Sutton departed the game with a concussion, meaning that the Broncos missed a large portion of their loss to the Patriots yesterday.
Sutton has had difficulty over the years to replicate the yardage success he saw in 2019, but in 2023 he was able to regain his redzone proficiency. With 58 receptions, 770 receiving yards
, and 10 receiving touchdowns this season, the large receiver leads the team in these categories. In order to aid his club in what has turned into a slightly more challenging competition for a Wild Card position, Sutton will need to make it through the concussion protocol and return the following week.
