Will the Raiders Have Key Defensive Star Back For Bengals?

The Las Vegas Raiders suffered a scare when linebacker Robert Spillane had to be helped off the field last week. He returned to the game but did not practice all week.

Oct 27, 2024; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins (8) catches the ball against Las Vegas Raiders linebacker Robert Spillane (41) in the first half at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Las Vegas Raiders have suffered numerous injuries to critical parts of their defense this season. They lost starting defensive end Malcolm Koonce days before the first game of the season. They lost starting safety Marcus Epps on a non-contact injury weeks later.

Multiple other players on the defense have missed time this season with injuries.

Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs, the Raiders nearly suffered a fatal blow when Spillane went down with an injury. The veteran linebacker missed sometime with a knee injury last week against the Chiefs, but reentered the game shortly after.

Initially, the injury looked serious, as Spillane had to be helped off the field. Spillane and the Raiders are not taking any chances, as he is far too valuable to the Raiders for them to lose, especially with the other injuries the defense has suffered this season.

The veteran linebacker did not practice this week leading up to Sunday's matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals and is officially listed as questionable.

Outside of defensive end Maxx Crosby, Spillane is the most critical player on the Raiders defense. He has played 99.8 percent of the team's defensive snaps and is one of the best linebackers in the league.

Spillane leads the National Football League in solo tackles and is top five in total tackles on the season. Still, even after nearly losing Spillane to an injury last week and his high usage, Raiders coach Antonio Pierce says he has no plans of slowing Spillane down.

“Yeah, no. He's a linebacker," Pierce said. "He's got a lot of stuff going on," Pierce said. "It’s a contract year for him. He's a warrior. He loves ball. He loves being a leader. He's a captain. I went to him right after he got out of the tent.

"I thought, like we all thought, he was done. And he said, ‘No, I'm fine. I'll go out there.’ I
mean, it's just I think one of those things that scared him. But between him and Maxx [Crosby], you can't pull those two guys off the field, and you want more players like that.”

Spillane did not practice on this week, and rarely misses time. His durability and dependability were a large part of why the Raiders signed the veteran. He has more than held up his end of the bargain, surpassing any and all expectations, except likely his own. Pierce said Spillane will be a gametime decision but Spillane's history of rarely missing time says there is a good chance he will play. Time will tell if that is the case.

"He won't practice today," Pierce said. "And knowing Robert, he'll be a game-time decision and knowing Robert, hopefully he'll play."

Ensure you follow on X (Twitter) @HondoCarpenter and IG @HondoSr and never miss another breaking news story again.

Please let us know your thoughts when you like our Facebook page WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE.