ALAMEDA, Calif. (AP) — Oakland Raiders running back Marshawn Lynch will miss at least a month because of a groin injury.
A person familiar with the injury said Friday that an MRI this week determined the severity of the injury. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the team has not made any announcement. NFL Network first reported the diagnosis.
Lynch was hurt last week in Oakland’s 27-3 loss to Seattle in London. The Raiders (1-5) are off this week and will play again on Oct. 28 at home against Indianapolis. Oakland could choose to place Lynch on injured reserve, which would require him to miss at least eight weeks.
The 32-year-old Lynch has been one of the few bright spots for the Raiders this season. He ranks 12th in the league with 376 yards rushing, averaging 4.2 yards per carry with three touchdowns. Lynch ranks fourth in the NFL in rushing since Week 12 last season.
Lynch’s best game came in Oakland’s only win when he ran for 130 yards last month against Cleveland when he showed off the power that earned him the nickname Beast Mode. Lynch came out of retirement last season in order to join the hometown Raiders before they move to Las Vegas in 2020. He is in the final year of his contract.
With Lynch sidelined, the struggling Raiders will likely turn to Doug Martin and Jalen Richard to carry the bulk of the load at running back. Martin was signed to be the main backup to Lynch this season but has been unproductive so far. He has 27 carries for 99 yards and four catches for 5 yards this season. He is averaging just 3.0 yards per carry since the start of the 2016 season.
Richard is more of a receiving back, ranking second on the team with 31 catches for 253 yards. Richard has carried the ball 11 times for 32 yards this year and has never had more than nine carries in a game in his three seasons in the NFL.
The only other halfback on the roster is DeAndre Washington, who injured his knee in training camp and has not been active yet despite being healthy the past few weeks. Washington has rushed for 620 yards on 144 carries in two seasons in the NFL. His most productive game came as a rookie in 2016 when he ran for 99 yards and a TD on 12 carries against the Colts on Christmas Eve.
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