Just a few hours before kickoff, Foster Moreau learned he was going to be the Raiders’ primary tight end Sunday. That’s when Pro Bowl tight end Darren Waller tried to give it a go on his injured ankle and found he would be unable to do it.
The injury occurred late in Friday’s practice, giving Moreau a couple of days to prepare for the possibility he could fill Waller’s big shoes in the Raiders’ offense.
“Just late in the week and worked our butt off with Derek [Carr] the past 48 hours. Felt like I was ready to go,” said Moreau.
“It was just a few hours before he went out and tried to run on it and it wasn’t popping the way it normally would, so he said alright and kind of gave up the reins.”
Waller wasn’t the only injury in the tight end room. He was the third injury over the past couple of weeks in fact. Both Derek Carrier and Nick Bowers had recently been placed on injured reserve, leaving Foster Moreau and practice squad call up Matt Bushman as the team’s only tight ends.
We all know how big a part of this offense Waller is. He’s been the team’s leading receiver the past couple years and barely ever leaves the field. While Moreau typically plays about 50% of the snaps.
“He told me it was going to be a dogfight. Because he takes 95% of all snaps,” Moreau said of Waller. “The guy’s a warrior. He’s as battle tested as they come. So, it was a bit of a shock to me. Like third or fourth drive, I need that second wind, you know.”
It was the second drive that Moreau tied his career-high with his fourth catch of the game. It went for 18 yards and a touchdown. And by the time the game was over, he had played every snap (66) and set new career-highs in catches (6) and yards (60).
| OFFENSE | Spec Tms | ||||
| Player | Pos | Num | Pct | Num | Pct |
| Foster Moreau | TE | 66 | 100% | 10 | 42% |
| Kolton Miller | T | 66 | 100% | 6 | 25% |
| Alex Leatherwood | G | 66 | 100% | 6 | 25% |
| Brandon Parker | T | 66 | 100% | 5 | 21% |
| Derek Carr | QB | 66 | 100% | 0 | 0% |
| Andre James | C | 66 | 100% | 0 | 0% |
| John Simpson | G | 65 | 98% | 5 | 21% |
| Bryan Edwards | WR | 59 | 89% | 2 | 8% |
| Henry Ruggs III | WR | 47 | 71% | 2 | 8% |
| Hunter Renfrow | WR | 36 | 55% | 5 | 21% |
| Kenyan Drake | RB | 26 | 39% | 3 | 12% |
| Josh Jacobs | RB | 24 | 36% | 0 | 0% |
| Alec Ingold | FB | 17 | 26% | 15 | 62% |
| Jalen Richard | RB | 16 | 24% | 1 | 4% |
| Zay Jones | WR | 12 | 18% | 8 | 33% |
| Matt Bushman | TE | 11 | 17% | 2 | 8% |
| Willie Snead | WR | 10 | 15% | 4 | 17% |
| Nick Martin | C | 5 | 8% | 6 | 25% |
| Jordan Simmons | G | 1 | 2% | 2 | 8% |
| Marcus Mariota | QB | 1 | 2% | 0 | 0% |
| DEFENSE | Spec Tms | ||||
| Player | Pos | Num | Pct | Num | Pct |
| Trevon Moehrig | FS | 69 | 100% | 11 | 46% |
| Brandon Facyson | CB | 69 | 100% | 9 | 38% |
| Johnathan Abram | SS | 69 | 100% | 1 | 4% |
| Nate Hobbs | CB | 64 | 93% | 9 | 38% |
| Yannick Ngakoue | DE | 55 | 80% | 1 | 4% |
| Denzel Perryman | LB | 55 | 80% | 0 | 0% |
| Maxx Crosby | DE | 50 | 72% | 3 | 12% |
| Casey Hayward | CB | 48 | 70% | 3 | 12% |
| Cory Littleton | LB | 46 | 67% | 9 | 38% |
| Quinton Jefferson | DT | 43 | 62% | 3 | 12% |
| Solomon Thomas | DT | 37 | 54% | 3 | 12% |
| Johnathan Hankins | NT | 35 | 51% | 2 | 8% |
| Dallin Leavitt | FS | 23 | 33% | 17 | 71% |
| Desmond Trufant | CB | 23 | 33% | 1 | 4% |
| Damion Square | NT | 23 | 33% | 0 | 0% |
| Carl Nassib | DE | 19 | 28% | 10 | 42% |
| Clelin Ferrell | DE | 14 | 20% | 0 | 0% |
| Nick Kwiatkoski | LB | 12 | 17% | 16 | 67% |
| K.J. Wright | LB | 5 | 7% | 1 | 4% |
| SPECIAL TEAMS | Spec Tms | ||||
| Player | Pos | Num | Pct | Num | Pct |
| Marquel Lee | LB | 0 | 0% | 13 | 54% |
| Divine Deablo | LB | 0 | 0% | 13 | 54% |
| Daniel Carlson | K | 0 | 0% | 13 | 54% |
| Keisean Nixon | CB | 0 | 0% | 11 | 46% |
| Tyree Gillespie | SS | 0 | 0% | 11 | 46% |
| Trent Sieg | LS | 0 | 0% | 8 | 33% |
| AJ Cole III | P | 0 | 0% | 8 | 33% |
| Jermaine Eluemunor | G | 0 | 0% | 6 | 25 |
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