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Thursday night came and went with another loss for the Raiders as the Denver Broncos brushed past the silver and black 26-13.
The two AFC West teams are going in completely opposite directions right now. With the loss, their sixth straight, the Raiders fell to 3-10. The Broncos registered their eighth straight win and currently hold the second best record in the AFC at 10-3.
The Raiders defense actually held their own, holding strong on four Broncos drives and forcing four field goals. The offense was virtually non-existent; especially running back Marcel Reece who had 10 yards on only four carries.
As Silver and Black Pride points out, the real kick in the gut were the two Palmer turnovers. Carson Palmer had an interception and a lost fumble and his turnovers are starting to become a bit problematic - Palmer has thrown an interception in nine straight games.
Another big reason for the offense's inability to keep anything substantial in motion was Carson Palmer. Both turnovers of his (1interception,1 fumble) were absolute momentum killers and are completely inexcusable.
I'm tired of these turnovers of his and am starting to wonder how high of a ceiling the Raiders actually have with him. He is immensely talented but it's hard to imagine overcoming the losing culture in Oakland if they can't hold onto the ball. These horribly timed turnovers are getting harder and harder to justify.
McFadden tweaked his ankle late in the game and his status isn't known yet. But his fragility has become a bit problematic for a team that is built to really hammer down the run.
No team can build themselves around McFadden because he can't be trusted to stay healthy. He needs to be on a team that won't rely on him as much as the Raiders do. The Raiders need to get franchise players they can trust or they will never overcome their inconsistency and lack of confidence.
The Raiders have plenty of time to figure everything out before facing off against the Kansas City Chiefs on Dec. 16 in an AFC West showdown that right now looks like their best bet to end the losing streak.