With the Chiefs at the goal line on their first drive, looking to score, the Raiders got what looked at the time like the worst news. Middle linebacker Robert Spillane was down on the field in pain. Then he required assistance from two trainers to help him off the field, putting no weight on his right ankle.
Spillane immediately went into the media tent, missing the ensuing play in which the Chiefs punched it in for the score. And with the prospect of the Raiders losing their leading tackler and QB of the defense, those kinds of plays figured to be even more frequent.
“I went to him right after he got out of the tent and asked him — I thought what we all thought, that he was done,” said Antonio Pierce. “he said ‘No, I’m fine. I’ll go out there.’ It was just, I think, one of those things that scared him.
That goal line snap would end up being the only snap he missed in the game and he went on to put up 12 tackles, again leading the team. And Pierce said there’s no plans to rest him for any games.
“He’s a linebacker,” Pierce added. “He’s got a lot going on. This is a contract year for him, he’s a warrior, he loves ball, he loves being a leader, he’s a captain. . . Between him and Maxx [Crosby], you can’t pull those two guys off the field. You want more players like that.”
Spillane is currently fourth in the league with 79 tackles this season. Sunday was the sixth time this season he has put up double digit sacks.
And that snap he missed was the first and only snap he’s missed all season.
