When Justin Miller was a member of the Raiders, the team loved his ability to break big kick returns.
Now that Miller’s on the Lions, they don’t like it all that much. Miller busted a 79-yard return in the second quarter of Saturday night’s game, which might have brought back some happy memories to those in Oakland if not for the fact that kicker Sebastian Janikowski went down with a groin injury while trying to pursue Miller on the play.
Janikowski’s return is being called questionable by the Raiders, but it is tough to imagine the Raiders risking their Pro Bowl kicker any more in this game. Eddy Carmona is the second kicker on Oakland’s roster and it’s a good bet that he’ll be getting any future placekicking opportunities against the Lions.
Janikowski has made just under 80 percent of his field goal attempts since joining the Raiders as a first-round pick in 2000. His loss would be a big one for the Raiders, who have relied on his ability to make long field goals many times over the course of his career.