Raiders offense deals with unexpected absence of WR Seth Roberts

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — The Raiders prepared and rehearsed an offensive game plan all week, and Seth Roberts was part of it. That remained the case into Saturday evening when the team held a final meeting at its hotel.

Coaches and players went to bed. That was that.

Then came Sunday.

The wide receiver awoke early on game day with an illness. While coaches maintained hope he might contribute, not including him among their seven inactive players, Roberts didn’t appear during a 34-14 loss to the Buffalo Bills at New Era Field.

That meant more work for wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson.

He played a season-high 57 offensive snaps, catching three of four targets for 7 yards.

Of Roberts’ situation, coach Jack Del Rio said he “found that out on the bus ride over. Left him active with hopes we could get some fluids in him and have him appear, but he never was able to make it.”

Roberts missed some August exhibition action to illness, too. It’s unclear if the situations are related.

Not his usual self

Marquette King appeared on the injury report Thursday with a right groin ailment.

That could begin to explain Sunday’s performance.

King, off to a largely sensational start, usually dances in celebration after a booming punt. There was little to celebrate against Buffalo, as his day featured a couple poor punts. He hit a 41-yarder with little hang time in the second quarter, leading to a 10-yard return. His next try went just 28 yards before being downed at the Bills’ 36-yard line.

King was visibly disappointed with both. After the first of them, he threw his helmet into the kicking net on the sideline.

He did pin the Bills to their own 9-yard line in the first quarter. He capped his Sunday with a 51-yarder that produced a 6-yard return.

“I’m sure being limited throughout the week didn’t help him be at his best,” Del Rio said. “He’s been a really strong punter this year for us. I would think that it may have had something to do with it.”

Notable

— Jamize Olawale did his best Marshawn Lynch impression early. The Raiders running back converted a fourth-and-1 run on the opening series and punctuated the drive with a goal-line touchdown. His afternoon was cut short, however, following a 65-yard kickoff return that was negated by a holding penalty. Olawale suffered a hamstring injury and did not return. In the preseason, he similarly injured his quad on a 56-yard run that also was brought back due to a penalty.

— Safety Karl Joseph (groin, questionable) was inactive. Rookie Shalom Luani started in his place, easily seeing the most defensive action of his career. It was a mixed bag. He almost intercepted a pass but was unable to secure it. Also costly, cornerback Dexter McDonald was looking for zone-coverage help over the top on a 36-yard reception by former Raiders wide receiver Andre Holmes on third-and-13. Luani arrived late on the third-quarter play. Quarterback Tyrod Taylor capped the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run.

— The Raiders didn’t push the ball downfield, settling for shorter passes underneath against the Bills’ soft coverage. Thirty-five of their 48 passes traveled fewer than 10 yards downfield, according to Pro Football Focus. That included a 15-yard checkdown to running back Jalen Richard as time expired in the first half.

— Wide receiver Amari Cooper caught five of 10 passes for 48 yards. Wide receiver Crabtree caught five of 10 passes for a game-high 83 yards. Cornerbacks Tre’Davious White and Shareece Wright shadowed them, respectively.

Contact reporter Michael Gehlken at mgehlken@reviewjournal.com. Follow @GehlkenNFL on Twitter.