‘Next man up’ for Raiders at running back

LAS VEGAS – The injuries keep piling up for the Las Vegas Raiders, particularly at running back, where the team lost two key members.

Neither Alexander Mattison (ankle) nor Zamir White (quadricep) practiced Wednesday, prompting the team to give reps to Ameer Abdullah and Dylan Laube.

“Next man up mentality,” Las Vegas coach Antonio Pierce said to the media via the team’s website. “We’ll get some of these younger guys some reps. Hopefully, we get these guys back by the end of the week.”

In the case of Abdullah, he’s an experienced back. The 12-year veteran has 17 rushes this season for 82 yards. In the team’s last meeting against the Denver Broncos, he had 42 yards on five carries with a touchdown. He also had three catches for nine yards.

“Ameer had a really good game. He had some big plays for us. Great opportunities in the passing game and running game,” Pierce said. “Obviously, special teams. If he happens to be the lead back, I feel really comfortable about him. He’s an explosive player. He’s a vet. He knows the system. He’s really savvy.”

The Raiders continue to look toward running the football more. They rushed 16 times in the 34-19 loss to the Miami Dolphins last Sunday, and Pierce wants the offense to have more balance than relying on the quarterback throwing the ball excessively.

“We need that balance,” Pierce said. “Can’t keep throwing the ball 40 times. That hasn’t worked out for us winning ball games. That’s not our recipe for winning.”

Paul Delos Santos is the Las Vegas sports insider for Dice City Sports. Follow him on X at @PaulDelos_.