There is no doubting that Matt McGloin played well in his first NFL start against the Houston Texans, but he succeeded because several other role players had big games as well. Running back Rashad Jennings put up yet another big game and wide receiver s like Denarius Moore stepped up as usual. However, Moore has missed his second-straight practice which could make things tough for McGloin come Sunday.
Moore is the leading receiver for the Raiders through Week 11 and he certainly helped the rookie quarterback toss up three touchdowns passes last week. He attracts the best defenders and creates room for players like Mychal Rivera to make plays. However, Moore has been out mostly all wee with ha shoulder injury and is looking more than doubtful for when Oakland faces the Tennessee Titans on Sunday.
"This is going to be something that he's going to have to deal with as we finish out this season," head coach Dennis Allen said, via SFGate.com. "Whenever he can tolerate the pain and be able to push through it, then he'll be back and up. It's not a surgery thing or anything like that."
Moore is one of the most important members of the Oakland offense. He was on pace to be the first Raiders receiver to record over 1,000 in a season since Randy Moss did so in 2005. His performance over the past two weeks has hurt that chance as this shoulder injury is proving too tough to push through.
If Moore is out, Andre Holmes is expected to step up and help. The receiver signed with the team after being claimed off waivers from the Patriots in May, but he sat out the first four games due to a suspension. Holmes would start alongside Rod Streater and Brice Butler.
"We're fortunate that we got Andre Holmes back here a couple of weeks back, and he's been getting better every day," offensive coordinator Greg Olson said. "So we're fortunate in that regard, but it always hurts losing a starter."
Rivera could be a player to watch come Sunday. The Titans defense is certainly a lot more tough than the Texans, but the big tight end has been improving each week and could help bail McGloin out in certain weeks. Rivera has not had more than five targets a game, but he has remained extremely efficient with 250 yards on the season, averaging 10.9 per catch. Expect him to see plenty of playing time in Week 12.
