Star Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby will play Sunday in the home opener against the Panthers despite an ankle injury, coach Antonio Pierce said.
Crosby is listed as questionable on the injury report, but Pierce made it clear Friday that Crosby will be in the lineup.
“He hasn’t missed any practice, and regardless of what I want to do, I have to fight (No.) 98,” Pierce said of the Week 2 AFC defensive player of the week, who hurt his ankle on the second-to-last play in Sunday’s win against the Ravens. “He’s the ultimate warrior. You see it with the stats this year. He hasn’t missed a snap, and I don’t expect him to miss any on Sunday, either.”
Crosby was on the field for the final play against the Ravens but was limping badly. He was listed as a limited practice participant all week and was wearing a brace on a heavily bandaged left ankle, though he had no padding on the area in the locker room.
On offense, rookie lineman Jackson Powers-Johnson is expected to make his NFL debut, Pierce said.
Powers-Johnson missed extended time in training camp and was inactive for the first two games with a variety of ailments.
“We’ll see,” Pierce said of what he expects out of the second-round pick. “We didn’t see him in the preseason or in the first two games. He had a really good week of practice last week, and if you watched the game, he was getting everybody pumped up on the sideline. So that energy, that fountain of youth, the aggressiveness he has, we’re looking forward to seeing it. I think when he gets in the game, my eyes will be right to him.”
Powers-Johnson will not carry an injury designation into the game.
Linebacker Divine Deablo will miss the game because of an oblique injury and a concussion. Defensive end Tyree Wilson is expected to play after missing last week with a knee injury, though he is listed as questionable. Defensive tackle Christian Wilkins is also expected to play through a questionable tag with a knee injury.
Rookie cornerback Decamerion Richardson, who missed the first two games with a hamstring injury, is doubtful.
White welcomes workload
Zamir White has struggled to get going in his first season as the team’s lead running back, but he’s not the type to be concerned with statistics.
While he admitted the comments from Pierce about wanting to get him at least 20 carries against a struggling run defense Sunday were encouraging, White said there is only one number that matters.
“I just want to win games,” he said. “Whatever it takes, whether it’s blocking every play or running the ball every play, I just want to do what I can to help.”
White said the running backs and offensive line have had a great week of practice as they continue to grind away at the finer details to find the right recipe for success.
That hard work is easier to put in when the team is coming off a win over a team like the Ravens.
“The mood was better than last week, I’ll tell you that,” White laughed.
Just for kicks
Two weeks into the so-called dynamic kickoff, NFL teams are still trying to figure out how to best approach the play.
The Raiders are no exception. They have allowed three kicks to be returned thus far, including two last week. Baltimore’s average starting field position after those two returns was the 22-yard line, which represents an 8-yard advantage over a touchback.
Pierce said the team will likely determine week by week whether to cover kicks or simply kick it through the end zone, a decision that will likely come down to a scouting report on the opposition.
“I want to be aggressive, because if we tackle them inside the 30, that’s a plus for us,” Pierce said. “If we kick the ball off and they get a holding penalty, then they’re backed up inside the 20. As much as we want to pound our chest and have that ego about ourselves to cover every kick, we’ve also got to be respectful to our defense and put them in positions to win.”
Raiders returner Ameer Abdullah, who scoffs at the name “dynamic” for the new kickoff, said it’s too early to make any firm determinations about whether it is working or how teams will handle it long term.
“It’s still new,” he said. “The coaches are still learning, the players are learning. We’ll see where we are in a few weeks. When you have guys getting it out to the 30, that’s the same as a touchback so it’s not worth the risk (for the kicking team). I think teams are starting to understand what schemes work. A lot of people were throwing stuff at the dartboard trying to find what sticks. Once they find the niche, I think it will start picking up.”
Contact Adam Hill at [email protected]. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on X.
Up next
Who: Panthers at Raiders
When: 1:05 p.m. Sunday
Where: Allegiant Stadium
TV: CBS
Radio: KRLV-AM (920), KOMP-FM (92.3)
Line: Raiders -6, total 40
