Oakland Raiders kicker Sebastian Janikowski has struggled with a hamstring injury for much of the last month, but he is reportedly feeling much better heading into Week 12 against the Chicago Bears. He was not on the team's injury report for the first time since week seven.
Janikowski strained the hamstring leading up to the Raiders game against the Kansas City Chiefs and sat out that game. After the bye he was listed as questionable against Denver and again against San Diego, but he still played. His kicking was limited as the team did not let him kick any 50+ yard field goals. It was easy to tell he was struggling as his kickoffs were also coming up short.
According to Seabass on Friday, "I am ready, feeling good. It has gotten better every week. I can still feel it a little bit when I am stretching, but I don't think it will affect my kicking anymore." If this is accurate, he will likely be available for 50+ yard field goals once again. That is a huge boon to the Raiders offense since it takes some pressure off them when the team gets into the opposition's side of the field. In a potentially low-scoring game with Chicago, that could prove pivotal.
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