The Oakland Raiders lost a brutal 28-0 decision Sunday afternoon that is hurting them more than in the standings. The Raiders lost star running back Darren McFadden early in the second quarter after two rushes and a reception. McFadden suffered an injury that was described at one point as a sprained foot. McFadden went into the locker room during the first quarter and returned to the sideline late in the second quarter. McFadden's foot was heavily taped and he never returned to the game. There is no word yet on the severity of the injury moving forward.
The Raiders also lost tight end Kevin Boss to a concussion and saw Rolando McClain get banged up with left ankle injury. McClain also went into the locker room but returned to middle linebacker later in the game. Matt Giordano also was knocked out with neck injury.
In light of these injuries, the bye week could not come at a better time. The Raiders are a banged up team that needs to get well. They will have more word on the above injuries and will also hope to get Sebastian Janikowski back and playing by week nine if possible.
The Raiders are also a team that needs to get some chemistry built between Carson Palmer and his wide receivers. Palmer struggled mightily in his Raiders debut, but some more practice time will improve those issues. While the Raiders will get some time off during the bye week, I would hope Palmer is on the practice field for a large chunk of it. After all, he has been on a two month bye.