Las Vegas Raiders suffer brutal triple injury blow as NFL season at risk of unravelling

Las Vegas Raiders coach Antonio Pierce confirmed that Michael Mayer and Maxx Crosby would both miss Sunday's game against the Cleveland Browns through injury

The Las Vegas Raiders are facing a mounting injury crisis with All-Pro defensive end Maxx Crosby and Pro Bowl wide receiver Davante Adams all ruled out for Sunday's clash against the Cleveland Browns.

Adams (hamstring) and Crosby (ankle) have both been listed as out, while tight end Michael Mayer will also miss the game for personal reasons. Raiders coach Antonio Pierce confirmed to reporters that the trio would miss the game, taking their injury tally to six key players.

With offensive tackle Thayer Munford [knee/ankle], linebacker Divine Deablo [oblique] and cornerback Decamerion Richardson [hamstring] also out, the Raiders' problems are mounting. These six join seven others already on the injury list, including five on injury reserve.

Third-string strong safety Marcus Epps is on IR with a knee injury, while DE Malcolm Koonce has undergone season-ending knee surgery. Wide receiver Jeff Forman also sustained a knee injury, guard Jake Johanning was placed on IR before the season began, and third-string free safety Trey Taylor joined the IR list on Aug. 28 with an unspecified injury.

Linebacker Kana'i Mauga is listed as questionable for the game along with backup QB Decamerion Richardson. Starting right tackle Thayer Munford suffered a knee injury in last week's 36-22 defeat to the Carolina Panthers, who had backup QB Andy Dalton orchestrating their offense.

Pierce, in his first full season in charge of the Raiders, is facing a turbulent start with a 1-2 record, ranking them third in the AFC West. Both the struggling Raiders and the injury-hit Browns, who are missing key players such as David Njoku, Jack Conklin, and Myles Garrett the latter having been hampered by leg issues at Thursday's practice are looking to bounce back from defeats.

After a crushing defeat to Carolina, a visibly shaken Pierce didn't mince his words when he delivered a potent message to his squad in a press conference. In a veiled critique, without naming names, he slammed certain players for their lacklustre performance, suggesting that some might be prioritising their pay over passion for the game.

"I think as the game went on, I don't think it was the team. I think there was definitely some individuals that made business decisions," Pierce stated firmly. "And we'll make business decisions going forward, as well."

During the match, star player Adams couldn't hide his discontent, caught on camera seething over the situation at halftime. His purportedly half-hearted blocking has drawn flak, leading to murmurs about his commitment to the Raiders.

The franchise quietly took action following Pierce's comments, making changes to their roster to strengthen their line depth. Offensive tackle Germain Ifedi was moved up from the practice squad to the active roster.

The team also signed offensive tackles Sebastian Gutierrez and Ricky Lee, along with defensive end Elerson Smith, to the practice squad.