Richie Incognito, Oakland Raiders. (Photo by Zach Bolinger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Oakland Raiders guard Richie Incognito plays beyond the whistle and shoves a Chicago Bears defender into the turf after the play was over.
The Oakland Raiders find themselves at 2-2 on the young season. Many were expecting the Silver and Black to be one of the worst teams in football this season. Oakland faced a ton of distractions heading into the season, including the Antonio Brown fiasco and the move to Las Vegas next year. They also have controversial players like Vontaze Burfict and Richie Incognito on their team.
Burfict was suspended for the rest of the season after his late hit on Indianapolis Colts tight end Jack Doyle in Week 4’s road victory. He will appeal that suspension but has gone back stateside to await what’s next. With his team now playing the Chicago Bears in London, Incognito did his best to play through the whistle to try to hurt somebody.
The Bears made a stop on defense, but the talented, yet troubled offensive guard decided to shove a Chicago defender’s face into the turf on the play was over. We get that Incognito plays with a certain level of chippiness at guard. He’s made a few Pro Bowls in his NFL career out of Nebraska. However, this was an unnecessary cheap shot that could have hurt someone.
The Raiders have a brand as the black hat of the NFL historically. Employing guys like Burfict and Incognito only echo that sentiment. Both are very gifted players at their respective positions, but how they play often gets in the way of their on-field success and that of the team that they play on. Oakland hasn’t exactly won a ton of games this century and gets penalized all the time.
Even if it was a cheap shot by Incognito, the Silver and Black held a 17-0 lead at halftime in Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Getting a neutral-site victory over what looks to be a strong team in the Bears will only go to help the Silver and Black contend for a Wild Card spot in the AFC.
They are not going to beat the archrival Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC West, but the two other playoff spots are certainly up for grabs. The Raiders may play a dirty brand of football in some people’s eyes, but the team now has an identity under head coach Jon Gruden in his second year back with the club. Incognito might get fined for this, but a win is all that matters for the Raiders.