Raiders left tackle Kolton Miller out vs. Vikings with shoulder injury

HENDERSON, Nev. (AP) – Left tackle Kolton Miller, the Las Vegas Raiders’ best offensive lineman, will not play in Sunday’s home game against the Minnesota Vikings because of a lingering shoulder injury.

Miller played in the Raiders’ most recent game two weeks ago against Kansas City after sitting out the previous two weeks with the injury.

He is rated by Pro Football Focus as the NFL’s 11th-best offensive tackle.

Also, rush end Maxx Crosby is questionable because of an ongoing knee injury. He was doubtful leading up to the week of the Chiefs game and even went to the hospital, but played anyway.

Crosby was a limited participant in practice Friday and missing the two prior days.

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Vikings star receiver Justin Jefferson adjusts goals after returning from hamstring injury

He was hoping to become the first player in NFL history to eclipse 2,000 receiving yards in a single season.

Justin Jefferson broke his elbow as a teenager at Destrehan High School in Louisiana. That’s the only time in his life he has been out of football for longer than the hamstring injury that has forced him to miss a significant portion of this season. He doesn’t even count that previous absence because he wasn’t on varsity at the time.

In other words, the past couple of months have been uncharted territory for the young receiver as he has navigated the recovery process for the first time in his career. He’s struggled to stay patient during that time, joking that he constantly vocalized his displeasure to the training staff.

“Every single day I told them how much it sucked to be in there,” Jefferson said with a laugh. “They knew that I just wanted to be back on the field.”

That time has come, finally, as Jefferson is on track to make his highly anticipated return when the Vikings travel to play the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday afternoon at Allegiant Stadium.

It has been a slow build to this point for Jefferson, considering he suffered the hamstring injury on Oct. 8, then got designated for return from injured reserve on Nov. 8. He has started to feel more and more like himself in practices over the past few weeks and is eager to make an impact in games once again.

“It was tough being on the sideline,” he said. “I’m finally back, and I’m very, very excited.”