If you have to wonder why the Oakland Raiders are underdogs to the Minnesota Vikings, the absence of two of their top playmakers might have something to do with that.
Darren McFadden does seem to be back on the road to recovery as he's shed his walking boot according to Vittorio Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle. McFadden still isn't practicing, which could mean that Michael Bush better be prepared to start for the third consecutive week (and rookie Taiwan Jones to see plenty of snaps) while he recovers fully from his foot injury. Additionally, Steve Corkran of Bay Area News Group tweets that Jacoby Ford didn't practice either, which could preclude him from participating this Sunday.
The Oakland offense thus could be limited in what they can use against a stout Vikings front seven that will be keying in on making the quarterback throw. This would put more pressure on Carson Palmer to connect with young Denarius Moore and Darrius Heyward-Bey,. Many of these players were impressive against the San Diego Chargers While Minnesota has yet to really start stringing victories together, they competed strongly with the Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers and beat the Carolina Panthers a week later.
To talk about the Raiders and their injuries, best to head to Silver and Black Pride.