Perryman gets off sick bed to lead spirited Raiders defense

INDIANAPOLIS — Denzel Perryman isn’t astir to sugarcoat it, COVID-19 delivered a mates of Mike Tyson-like assemblage blows to the Raiders’ Pro Bowl linebacker during the week starring up to Sunday’s 23-20 triumph implicit the Indianapolis Colts.

“You know, this COVID happening is real,” Perryman said.

Just arsenic a fistful of different Raiders teammates did implicit the days starring up to the must-win game, Perryman spent astir the full week successful quarantine. Unable to physically be practice, helium and those teammates spent the week connected zoom calls with coaches portion locked up successful their homes.

But lest you deliberation it was simply a escaped get-out-of-work pass, deliberation again.

“I was shaking for similar the archetypal 2 days,” said Perryman, who added the remainder of the week meant dealing with a persistent cough.

All of which made what helium did connected Sunday each the much impressive. After getting game-day clearance to suit up, Perryman acceptable speech conditioning woes and the ankle wounded helium has been dealing with to play a pb relation successful defending Colts prima moving backmost Jonathan Taylor and holding Indianapolis to 20 points.

That his 7 tackles and spirited hustle occurred portion helium was gasping for aerial astatine assorted points of the crippled not lone earned him respect from his peers, it inspired them arsenic well.

“It’s unbelievable,” Raiders backmost Derek Carr said. “You could archer helium was moving and making tackles and taking a genu a small spot longer than helium usually does. The fight, that’s wherefore he’s a Pro Bowler.”

Perryman had to instrumentality himself retired of the crippled from clip to clip erstwhile breathing became difficult. Just arsenic helium learned each week, getting done the concern became arsenic overmuch a intelligence situation arsenic it was a carnal one.

“You conscionable got to truly adjust, conscionable got to adjust, man,” Perryman said.

That included the anticipation of not being capable to play successful the biggest crippled of the season. In fact, Perryman braced for that nonstop script much than a fewer times past week. “I didn’t deliberation I was going to play,” helium said.

That changed arsenic game-day drew person and helium started feeling better. Perryman, on with chap linebackers Cory Littleton and K.J. Wright, arrived successful Indianapolis Saturday nighttime and instantly hooked up with linebackers manager Richard Smith to get up to velocity connected the crippled plan.

“I deliberation it mightiness person been marathon meetings with those guys to get caught up,” Raiders interim caput manager Rich Bisaccia said.

All of which culminated with the third-down basal the Raiders made precocious successful the 4th fourth to clasp the Colts to a tract goal. The Raiders led 20-17 astatine the time, and a Colts archetypal down could person led to a game-winning winning touchdown. At the least, it would person fixed the Colts a caller acceptable of downs with which to bleed the timepiece earlier kicking the game-tying tract goal.

Perryman and the Raiders’ defence had different ideas. They wanted to get the shot backmost to Carr and the discourtesy with capable clip to triumph it.

“That past 3rd down, I don’t cognize who it was, everybody was saying springiness it each you got,” Perryman said, adjacent though the effects of the past week were inactive wreaking havoc.

“I was like, shoot, I tin hardly respire myself close now,” helium remembers thinking.

Nevertheless, helium and the defence stopped the Colts abbreviated of a archetypal down. That gave Carr and the discourtesy capable clip to thrust 60 yards for the game-winning tract goal.

“Just warring and giving it your all,” Perryman said.

Contact Vincent Bonsignore astatine vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com. Follow @VinnyBonsignore connected Twitter.