The Las Vegas Raiders finally got a big game from running back Ashton Jeanty in their 25-24 loss to the Chicago Bears, but the line Jeanty will be running behind this week won’t be quite the same.
According to a report from Ian Rapoport of NFL Media that was picked up by Myles Simmons of Pro Football Talk, left tackle Kolton Miller sustained a high ankle sprain during the game. Miller is scheduled for an MRI, and high ankle sprains are notorious for keeping players out multiple weeks.
The injury comes at the worst possible time for the Raiders. They’re 1-3 with their season sinking fast, and this week they have to go on the road to take on a surprisingly explosive Indianapolis Colts team that’s 3-1 and tied with the Jacksonville Jaguars for the division lead in the AFC South.
The depth chart has tackle Charles Grant as the next man up, which probably isn’t good. Nothing against Grant, but he’s a rookie from a small school, William & Mary, who was taken in the third round of the draft. He'll get an education of sorts in this game, and Grant and his line mates will be facing a feisty Indy defense that has seven sacks in the last two games.
New offensive coordinator Chip Kelly has already had to make some serious adjustments with this unit. Right tackle DJ Glaze, guard Jackson Powers-Johnson and backup guard Alex Cappa have all struggled at times, but Kelly was able to get Jeanty going against the Bears.
Can he do it again? The Raiders will come into this game as heavy underdogs, and much of that has been about the struggles of quarterback Geno Smith. He threw three interceptions against the Bears, and Smith was taking heat even before that game for leading the league in pick since the beginning of the 2024 season.
Kelly will have his work cut out for him to make this new set of adjustments work. Colts quarterback Daniel Jones has been making a strong case for comeback player of the year, although he did regress and revert to form last week, throwing a pair of interceptions against the Los Angeles Rams.
This game could easily turn into an Indy track meet, and if that happens the Raiders are probably cooked. They’re already stuck at the bottom of the AFC West, but at least the hapless Tennessee Titans are next up after the Colts.