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WEEK 7
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Raiders injury report before Rams: Quay Walker downgraded, Mike Washington Jr. questionable

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Las Vegas added its starting linebacker to the questionable list a day before kickoff, and the rookie running back who earned a bigger role last week missed the final two practices.

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WhyNFL Sports DeskPublished
Quay Walker in a 2021 archive photograph.
Quay Walker in 2021 (archive photo). Photo: Gamecock Central / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.

The Las Vegas Raiders go into Sunday’s home game against the Los Angeles Rams with two starters in doubt. On Saturday, October 24, the club moved linebacker Quay Walker, who is dealing with a chest injury, onto the questionable list a day after he had finished the week with a full practice and no designation. Rookie running back Mike Washington Jr. is also questionable after sitting out Thursday and Friday with foot and back problems.

The timing matters for a team that has lost three in a row. At 3-3, Las Vegas is trying to avoid a fourth straight defeat, and it would like to have Walker in the middle of a defense that ranks 28th in yards allowed per game against a Rams offense that ranks third.

Walker added to the list on Saturday

Walker was limited on Wednesday and Thursday with the chest problem and was a full participant on Friday, when the team’s final report gave him no game status. The change came on Saturday afternoon. The club has not said whether he suffered a setback or why his status moved. Reporter Ryan McFadden was among the first to pass on the update.

Las Vegas elevated defensive tackle Tim Keenan and defensive end Cian Slone from the practice squad for the game, but it did not call up a linebacker or a running back.

Washington, Thornton and the rest of the report

Washington was limited on Wednesday before missing the last two practices. Klint Kubiak said the injury came up earlier in the week and that the club is “expecting him to be ready.” The rookie had earned a bigger share of the work after he led the Raiders with 43 rushing yards in the 33-30 loss to the Buffalo Bills on October 18, and the running game needs the help: Las Vegas averages 79.2 rushing yards per game, 30th in the league.

Receiver Dont’e Thornton Jr. (hamstring) and tight end Carter Runyon (foot) practiced fully all week in their return windows from injured reserve, but both were ruled out. Defensive tackle Tonka Hemingway is back from a concussion, and Kubiak confirmed he will play. Tight end Brock Bowers (hamstring and calf), left tackle Kolton Miller (shoulder) and defensive tackle Folorunso Fatukasi (shoulder) were limited on Wednesday, practiced fully on Thursday and Friday and carry no designation.

The Rams’ side

Los Angeles, 2-4 after two straight losses, has its own questions. Puka Nacua (calf) is questionable after he left Thursday’s practice early and sat out Friday, and he will test the calf before the game. Cornerback Trent McDuffie (groin) is questionable after missing all three practices, and linebacker Nate Landman (concussion) is out. Davante Adams is on injured reserve with a hamstring injury. The Rams’ full report is here.

What comes next

Inactive lists are due 90 minutes before the 4:25 p.m. EDT kickoff at Allegiant Stadium on Sunday, October 25. The latest designations are on the injury page, and every play will be tracked in the Rams-Raiders Game Center. The Raiders then visit the New York Jets on Sunday, November 1, at 1:00 p.m. EST.

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