Raiders report: Cornerback ruled out against Patriots

Cornerback Nate Hobbs will miss his third consecutive game as he continues to recover from an ankle injury.

Hobbs didn’t practice all week and was one of two players ruled out for Sunday’s game against the Patriots at Allegiant Stadium.

“I’m somewhere,” Hobbs said of where he is in the recovery process. “But I’ll be back sooner than later. Just keep banging away at the rehab and everything else I need to do.”

Offensive tackle Justin Herron also was ruled out with a concussion. He wasn’t listed on the injury report for Wednesday or Thursday, which would signal the issue probably happened during Friday’s practice.

The only other Raider with a game-day status is rookie cornerback Jakorian Bennett, who has been a limited practice participant all week with a shoulder injury after missing last week’s win over the Packers.

He appears to be trending toward a return.

“I’m feeling good, just working with the trainers each and every day to get better,” Bennett said. “But I’m excited to go out there and help the team win.”

Those injuries have meant more snaps for Amik Robertson, the hero of Monday’s win over the Packers with a game-sealing interception late in the fourth quarter.

Hobbs said it’s time more people started paying attention to Robertson’s accomplishments.

“I feel like y’all are playing with that man,” Hobbs said. “He deserves to be one of the people talked about in this league because he takes the ball away so much. The opportunities he gets and the amount of balls he takes away, you’re not seeing anybody else doing that.”

The Patriots listed 10 players as questionable and seven as out, including star linebacker Matthew Judon, who will miss his second consecutive game with an elbow injury.

Mind games

It’s no secret how many connections there are between the Patriots and Raiders organizations.

General manager Dave Ziegler and coach Josh McDaniels came to Las Vegas from New England, along with a slew of assistant coaches, staffers and players.

The teams know each other and what they want to accomplish, which could lead to a great deal of second-guessing on game planning and strategy questions.

McDaniels said the key is to not overthink the situation or start changing every call and audible hoping to outsmart the Patriots.

“You can’t overdo it,” he said. “You can really kind of make things harder than they need to be. We play football. We don’t build rockets. Sometimes if you really want to dive too far into it, you can make things really hard on yourself.”

Making a name

Linebacker Kana’i Mauga has yet to play a defensive snap for the Raiders, but he’s showing up on film.

The former Southern California player gets downfield on kickoff and punt coverage as if he’s going to have to try to run through a wall when he finally reaches his destination.

“I don’t know, I guess aggressive,” he said of how to describe his style. “I just kind of like to hit, so I bring more physicality than anything.”

McDaniels has been impressed with the second-year pro, who spent much of last season on the practice squads of the Raiders and Broncos after going undrafted.

“Passion for football, energy every day, really gives us a good look on the scout team when he’s playing against us during the course of the week,” McDaniels said. “He just plays with a physicality and a purpose on each snap. You can’t have enough of those guys, and he’s made an impression on us since he’s been here.”

Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on X.