
ALAMEDA -- The Raiders will be without Josh Jacobs on Sunday against the Los Angeles Chargers, but their wide receiver corps should get a boost with the expected return of rookie Hunter Renfrow.
The fifth-round draft pick was a key cog in the Raiders' passing attack during the Silver and Black's three-game winning streak that saw them vault into playoff contention. Renfrow fractured his ribs and punctured a lung during the Raiders' Week 12 loss to the Jets at MetLife Stadium and has missed the last three games.
With Renfrow not in the lineup, the Raiders have struggled to move the chains on the third down, especially in the second half. His absence allowed defenses to key in on tight end Darren Waller and No. 1 wide receiver Tyrell Williams, making life hard for quarterback Derek Carr.
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His return, hopefully, will open things up for an offense that has been searching for a rhythm down the stretch.
"Hunter being back, you know, I'll say we were on the same page before he got injured," Carr said Wednesday. "We had a nice thing going. There's nothing like live reps, though. There's nothing like actually playing games and getting that feel back. So we'll have to do that. Getting a guy like that back -- he's a guy that's been awesome for us, you know, not just on intermediate routes but on deeper routes."
Renfrow made big plays during the Raiders' November winning streak, including the game-winning touchdown catch to beat the Lions in Week 9. His greatest strength, of course, is his ability to move the chains on third down, something Carr and the Raiders are looking forward to having back Sunday when they face the Chargers in LA.
"He makes a huge impact," Carr said of Renfrow on third down. "Because if we want to throw it to him, he does a great job winning, but we also know teams know that. You can use him whether you want to throw it to him or use it as a diversion. Same thing with Waller, same thing with [running back Jalen Richard]. You can do those kinds of things with those kinds of guys where people are like, 'They want to get the ball here.' It's nice because sometimes you'll actually throw it there and sometimes you'll just use them. Just having that element, it just adds back to our offense."
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After a tough start to his rookie season, Renfrow started to come on during the Raiders' Week 8 loss to the Houston Texans. During Oakland's three-game winning streak, Renfrow accounted for 15 catches for 162 yards and a touchdown as he and Carr showcased incredible chemistry.
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The offense hasn't been the same since he went down. Carr hasn't had a good connection with Zay Jones, Keelan Doss or Marcell Ateman, so getting Renfrow back should inject some life into an offense that has been scuffling during its current four-game losing streak.