‘A minor setback for a major comeback…’: Jaguars rocked as star rookie Travis Hunter ruled out with knee injury — coach Liam Coen admits timing is ‘not ideal’ as team faces Raiders in must-win Week 9 clash… - suong
The Las Vegas Raiders will look to play spoiler against a Jacksonville Jaguars team in the middle of an AFC playoff race. While the Silver and Black aren’t likely to make the playoffs, they can make life difficult for those pushing for the postseason.
Moreover, Las Vegas will look for a bounce-back win after its disastrous 31-0 loss in Week 7 against the Kansas City Chiefs. Nonetheless, the Jaguars are also looking to rebound as they have lost two straight games.
On the October 31 edition of “NFL Live,” ESPN NFL analyst Mina Kimes shared what Jacksonville must do against the Raiders in their Week 9 game to snap their losing skid, especially after the news that Travis Hunter will be out for a few weeks.
“For the Jacksonville Jaguars, obviously, you need the secondary pass catchers to step up,” Kimes said. “I would argue, though, that equally important, they’ve got to get back to running the football the way they did the first few weeks of the season.
“Something I thought Liam Coen did an excellent job of at Tampa Bay was making adjustments in the run game to the personnel he had. This offensive line is not as good as the one he had in Tampa, but he has to find answers.”
Jaguars Star Will Miss Several Weeks
Jaguars head coach Liam Coen said on October 31 that Hunter suffered a non-contact knee injury during practice the previous day and will be placed on injured reserve.
“He will miss at least four games,” Coen said (h/t Pro Football Talk). “We’re currently assessing the injury just to determine the best course of action moving forward for Travis and the team.
“We’re still assessing. We haven’t gotten all of the information. This just kind of got going last night when we got some information. So, we’re still waiting on further information to be able to determine how long it will be.”
Jaguars Without Travis Hunter for Raiders Game Not Ideal
He’s played a key role across the board, logging 67 percent of the offensive snaps, 35 percent on defense, and some time on special teams. His standout performance came before Jacksonville’s bye week, when he hauled
“Yeah, it’s definitely not ideal timing — not that any injury is ideal timing,” Coen added. “But
“You just feel bad for the guy, for the kid, for our team, for everything. But he’s in good spirits right now. And a minor setback for a major comeback. That’s just the way it’s got to be.”
‘He’s not going anywhere…’: Raiders rocked by trade drama as star wideout Jakobi Meyers ‘requests move’ — with two NFL contenders circling and insiders revealing shock details of the teams that reached out… - suong
There was an expectation that the Las Vegas Raiders could make some trades during their bye week, but they decided to stay put. While there was some Maxx Crosby trade chatter, it sounds like he’s not going anywhere.
However, wide receiver Jakobi Meyers is on the trade block. He has requested a trade, and even though the Raiders prefer not to trade him, they won’t say no to a solid package in return.
There hasn’t been as much interest in Meyers as Las Vegas was likely expecting, but he’s a very good wide receiver who could help a contender. According to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini, there are two teams that have reached out to the Raiders about a Meyers trade.
“The Raiders have fielded calls from the Steelers and Bills on WR Jakobi Meyers, but Las Vegas has set a high price. Pittsburgh is looking at other wide receiver options, too,” Russini wrote.
It’s unclear what exactly the Raiders’ asking price for Meyers is, but it’s likely a third-round pick or more. The team could potentially get a fourth-round compensatory pick in 2027 if he leaves in free agency, so it doesn’t make much sense to trade him for less.
Is Tre Tucker Raiders WR1?
Meyers had a career year last season, but he hasn’t been putting up the same numbers this year. Right now, Tre Tucker leads the Raiders with 389 receiving yards. There’s an argument that he’s becoming the team’s No. 1 wide receiver.
Head coach Pete Carroll believes he’s been the most productive wide receiver.
“He’s been our most effective guy,” Carroll said recently. “We weren’t sure how he would contribute. We hoped that he would be a downfield guy. He’s been that, and he’s doing other things as well.
“I think he’s had a really good start with us.”
Raiders wide receivers coach Chris Beatty has worked closely with Tucker all year, and he’s been impressed with his work ethic.
“He busts his tail off,” Beatty said of Tucker, per ESPN. “He pays attention to detail [and] wants to learn.”
Tucker also appreciates everything that Beatty has done for him.
“He’s helped me tremendously,” Tucker said. “[Beatty] gives us a mental edge, knowing what the defense is doing [and] how the cornerback is going to play. … You are already a step ahead, no matter what your physical traits are.”
Geno Smith Has Been Impressed With Tucker
Meyers likely isn’t back with the Raiders next season, so there’s a chance that Tucker goes into the year as the No. 1 wide receiver. What will help him is the rapport he’s already built with quarterback Geno Smith.
Smith is really high on what Tucker has been doing.
“He’s a problem out there,” Smith said. “This guy is running 20 miles per hour just about every day out here on the practice field. And that’s the reason why he can play so fast in the game, because he practices that way.”
The Raiders likely need to address the wide receiver room in the offseason, but if Tucker can have a great second half of the season, that would put less pressure on the team.
