The Las Vegas Raiders get to kick off their 2024 season in just a few days. They have the pleasure of getting their season started against a divisional opponent the Los Angeles Chargers, who had quite a bit of turnover this offseason. They let go of several weapons, and of course, have a new head coach in Jim Harbaugh.
So, while this game is very winnable for the Raiders going into their home away from home in Los Angeles, we could still see the team in silver and black start 0-1. And, well, that's largely because of the way the Raiders are entering this game.
Before the injury report was even out, we knew that the Raiders would be without edge rusher Malcolm Koonce, who finished last season with eight sacks in the second half of the season alone. But, now that the injury report is out, we are seeing that the Raiders are really taking a hit on game day.
According to the injury report, defensive end Malcolm Koonce (knee), cornerback Decamerion Richardson (hamstring), and guard Jackson Powers Johnson (illness) are all out, and all are expected to play key roles on the Raiders this season. Rookie linebacker Tommy Eichenberg (knee) is questionable to play as well.
This won't make it highly unlikely the Raiders will lose, or anything like that, but it will certainly make it harder on them. Now, depth pieces have to step up, like Tyree Wilson, Amari Gainer, and maybe even a practice squad cornerback.
Only time will tell if these injuries really make a difference.
