Davante Adams isn’t able to get Taco Bell breakfast crunchwraps in his house, but that’s the least of the Raiders’ problems entering the second week of the regular season.
Not only do the Raiders travel 2,100 miles to face heavily favored Baltimore, they also have an uncertain quarterback situation and, according to a Sports Illustrated beat writer, serious concerns on both their offensive and defensive lines.
Judging by the forecast of head coach Antonio Pierce this week, Hondo Carpenter doesn’t see three key starters – guard Jackson Powers-Johnson and defensive ends Malcolm Koonce and Tyree Wilson — returning for the Ravens, or anytime soon.
Powers-Johnson, the team’s second-round selection out of Oregon in April, is still trying to return to full strength after missing the entire preseason. Carpenter doesn’t see him making his NFL debut this week.
“I will tell you, and this is purely speculation,” said Carpenter on the Las Vegas Raiders Insider podcast. “Just reading the tea leaves, and you can go back and watch or listen to the video of (Pierce), reading the tea leaves, I would suspect maybe 25-percent to 35-percent chance that he plays this weekend. I would not be holding my breath.”
Meanwhile, Koonce and Wilson, key pieces of the team’s pass rush both out with knee injuries, are expected to be long-term absences. Koonce is on injured reserve and out at least through Week 4. Wilson did not practice on Wednesday.
“Clearly got the impression that both guys’ injuries are going to be a little longer than expected,” Carpenter said, adding “that things might not be looking as good as [the Raiders] had hoped.”