The Oakland Raiders were able to hold down the Colts’ offense on Sunday, but they did it for much of the day without linebacker Vontaze Burfict. In the second quarter, Burfict was ejected for a helmet-to-helmet hit on tight end Jack Doyle that drew an unnecessary roughness penalty.
Unfortunately, it looks like the Raiders could be without their starting middle linebacker and captain for awhile. According to ESPN’s Chris Mortensen, Burfict is expected to be suspended for multiple games, at the very least. The expectation is that the Burfict could be suspended for the entire season:
If and when Burfict is suspended, expect Tahir Whitehead to be the team’s middle linebacker and for Nicholas Morrow to see more snaps. If Burfict were to miss the season, that would be disastrous news for the Raiders as they lack depth and talent at the position.
