Raiders Look to Regain Health During Bye Week

There may not be a team in the National Football League that needs or maybe even deserves a bye week more than the Las Vegas Raiders.

The Silver and Black have had a season with many highs and lows, not to mention many injuries to key players.

As they enter their bye week, Interim Coach Antonio Pierce says getting healthy is one of their main goals with their time off. The Raiders return from their bye week with two consecutive home games in under five days.

"Get healthy, get fresh," Pierce said. "We have two home games coming up. We talked about that as a team, as a staff. It was a great opportunity for us, three straight home games."

The Raiders have the second-latest bye week possible. The Raiders are among only eight teams to have their bye week come during Week 13 or later.

"Obviously, this [game against the Kansas City Chiefs] didn't go how we wanted it to, but we have the [Minnesota] Vikings coming here," Pierce said. "But first and foremost, I told our guys to get themselves right. Get healthy, get fresh. Twelve weeks is a long time to go without a bye.

"And these guys have really battled through it, fighting through injuries.

"You saw what Maxx [Crosby] went through this week and the will to want to play. These guys are not quitting. There's no quit in this team. There won't be quit next week. They're going into the bye, we'll become fresh, we'll get back to work on Monday and get ready for the Vikings at home."

The Raiders pulled tackle Kolton Miller and defensive end Maxx Crosby late in the game against the Chiefs once the game was out of reach.

Both had been dealing with injuries heading into Sunday's game. Miller had missed multiple games before returning to the lineup to face Kansas City.

"With Kolton [Miller], just get out healthy," Pierce said. "At some point, you have to be realistic with how the game is going. Take care of your best players, and it's no different than what we did with Maxx [Crosby]."

The Raiders have injuries like every other team in the NFL does at this time of the year. They'll have some time to recuperate and prepare for the final five games of the regular season.

The Silver and Black will return home to Allegiant Stadium to take on the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, December 10, at 4:05 p.m. EST/1:05 p.m. PST.

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