The Las Vegas Raiders had a rough day overall in Week 13 against the Washington Football Team.
Washington picked up a late win thanks to a go-ahead field goal, dropping the Raiders to 6-6 in a jam-packed AFC playoff race.
But Kenyan Drake had an even worse day as he left with a broken ankle after one carry and will now miss the remainder of the season.
The play that injured Drake was not dirty in nature, but the running back was quick to call out an NFL double standard over how his injury occurred.
Graphic Video Warning: The #NFL needs to look at this specific style of tackling. They are throwing flags for taunting and protecting qbs from getting touched but this is my 2nd straight season being injured by a guy pulling me back and using his body weight to roll up my legs. pic.twitter.com/zgJt4rM9yG
— Kenyan Drake™ (@KDx32) December 6, 2021
Drake does seem to have a point, as his own livelihood is affected by someone taking him down to the ground in an unorthodox manner.
NFL Double Standards
Drake calls out an obvious problem with the way the game is officiated.
A player can draw a penalty for taunting, but not for tackling someone in a way that breaks their ankle.
It would be unfair to say this was a dirty play because in general, it was a defender trying to keep Drake from advancing forward.
Kenyan Drake will miss the rest of the season with a broken ankle, per @RapSheet pic.twitter.com/gSwc1FDxNb
— B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) December 6, 2021
The problem is that certain legal plays, such as when cut blocks used to take place all the time, lead to avoidable injuries.
Drake now has a broken ankle after suffering a sprain last season on a similar play.
If quarterbacks are protected from getting shoved after a pass, why aren’t running back protected against forms of tackles in which they are likely to get injured?
That is a question Drake is asking and one the NFL will have to answer now that he has brought this issue into the limelight.
Defenders may complain, but a type of tackle that has a better shot to result in an injury does not need to be a part of the game.
NEXT: 3 Reasons Raiders Fans Should Have Legitimate Concerns
