PRO FOOTBALL DAILY REPORT : RAIDERS : Craig Shows Durability With 27 Carries

The doubts about Roger Craig’s aching knees were at least temporarily put to rest in Sunday’s game against Denver.

It turned out to be one of the most durable performances of Craig’s career. He carried a career-high 27 times against the Broncos. In eight seasons with San Francisco, he had only three games with more than 25 carries. He rushed 26 times in a game twice in 1988 and had a 25-carry performance in 1989.

The Raiders signed Craig as a Plan B free agent to supplement the rushing game. Those plans changed when Marcus Allen was put on injured reserve last week with a knee injury.

“When he got hurt, it was up to me to pick up the slack,” Craig said. “I’ve just got to do it until he comes back.”

Except for a gash over his right eye that required four stitches, Craig came out of the game unscathed.

“It was different,” Craig said of the workload. “It felt good, though. I got into a rhythm. I got banged up throughout the game, but I felt strong. As the game progressed, I got stronger.”

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The Raiders reported no serious injuries from the Denver game. Guard Max Montoya and safety Eddie Anderson were nursing groin pulls before the game, but those injuries were not aggravated, Coach Art Shell said.

Defensive tackle Anthony Smith suffered a scraped knee when he was stepped on by another player, but he is reported to be OK.