Raiders get dinged by NFL for injury report violation
The Raiders are still taking losses, even on their bye week.
The NFL fined the Raiders $20,000 for a violation of the league’s injury report policy after they failed to downgrade left guard Kelechi Osemele from “questionable” to “out” when he didn’t travel to the team’s Week 5 game at the Los Angeles Chargers, a source confirmed to the Bay Area News Group on Thursday.
According to the league’s policy, “Injuries or other events that occur after 4 p.m., New York time, on the designated game status reporting day must be reported immediately if the injury or event could affect a player’s ability to play in that week’s game.”
Osemele was listed as “questionable” with a knee injury on the Raiders’ official game status report on Friday, Oct. 5. After Sunday’s 26-10 loss to the Chargers, coach Jon Gruden said Osemele didn’t travel with the team. Players who are “questionable” typically work out with the trainer several hours before the game to determine their status, but the Raiders had determined Osemele wouldn’t play before their flight. Thus, he should have been downgraded to “out” before the team left Oakland.
Osemele hasn’t played in the Raiders’ past two games after suffering a right knee injury against the Browns in Week 4. The Raiders won’t have trouble forking over $20,000, but it’s an inconvenience nonetheless, especially given the Raiders’ present struggles at 1-5. BRONCOS RETURN TWO INTERCEPTIONSFORTDS, ROUT CARDINALS » Emmanuel Sanders threw and caught touchdown passes, Denver returned two interceptions for first- quarter touchdowns and the Broncos snapped a four-game losing streak with a 45-10 rout of the Arizona Cardinals.
Todd Davis returned rookie Josh Rosen’s deflected pass for a touchdown on the second play of the game and Chris Harris Jr. took another back 53 yards for a score with 2:02 left in the quarter as the Broncos (3- 4) opened a 21-3 lead.
Rosen threw three interceptions and fumbled the ball away twice on a rough night that began badly for him and never got better. He limped off the field after he was sacked for the fifth time, on a fourthand-16 play near the end of the game.
The Cardinals ( 1- 6), down 35-3 at the half, fell to 0- 4 at home for the first time since 1979.
Case Keenum completed 14 of 21 passes for 161 yards and a touchdown with one interception for Denver. Phillip Lindsay rushed for 90 yards on 14 carries, including a 28-yard TD run.
The Cardinals got their only touchdown in the third quarter, Rosen throwing four yards to Larry Fitzgerald for the score. Fitzgerald’s first TD catch of the season came at the end of an 11-play, 63-yard drive that followed Patrick Peterson’s interception. Fitzgerald’s 111 career TDs tie him with Tony Gonzalez for seventh on the NFL’s career list. GINN JR. ON INJURED RESERVE » The New Orleans Saints have placed veteran receiver Ted Ginn Jr., who has been struggling with knee soreness, on injured reserve. Ginn has played in four games this season, catching 12 passes for 135 yards and two touchdowns, but has regularly appeared on New Orleans’ official injury report since early in Week 2.
Ginn’s production had largely dipped sinceWeek 2 and he did not have a reception in Week 4 before sitting out a Week 5 triumph overWashington. The move could mean more opportunities for rookie Tre’Quan Smith, whom the Saints selected in the third round of last spring’s draft. New Orleans’ previous game was Smith’s best one yet; he had touchdown catches of 62 and 35 yards. COWBOYS’WILLIAMSISSUSPENDED » Dallas Cowboys receiver Terrance Williams has been suspended three games for violating the NFL’s substance-abuse policy, a ban he will serve while on injured reserve because of lingering issues fromoffseason surgery for a broken right foot.
The league said Thursday the suspension will be in effect Sunday when the Cowboys visit Washington. After Dal las’ open week and a home game against Tennessee, the final game of the ban will be Nov. 11 at Philadelphia. But Williams will miss at least three more games af ter that while on injured reserve. His first possible game is Dec. 9. BENGALS TRY TO FILL SECONDARY » With their secondary depleted by injuries, the Bengals signed cornerback KeiVarae Russell off the practice squad for an upcoming game in Kansas City. Russell was the Chiefs’ third-round pick in 2016. He’s played in 13 games for Cincinnati over the past two seasons. The Bengals needed another cornerback with Darqueze Dennard sidelined by a shoulder injury suffered last Sunday. Safety ShawnWilliams also suffered a concussion. He was cleared on Thursday.