If the Raiders are going to beat the Broncos on Sunday, they’ll have to do it without Darren McFadden.
The team ruled McFadden out for the AFC West clash thanks to the foot injury he suffered in the 28-0 loss to the Chiefs in Week Seven. The news isn’t particularly surprising since McFadden has been out of practice all week and was spotted on crutches Wednesday. The big question now is if he’ll be able to get himself ready to play for Thursday night’s game against the Chargers, a matchup that will likely loom large in the race for the AFC West crown.
Michael Bush will get the start at running back for the Raiders with Taiwan Jones seeing an increased role in reserve. They will have a hard time replacing the 126 yards from scrimmage that McFadden contributes to the Oakland offense, which will increase the pressure on Carson Palmer in his first start since joining the team in a trade with the Bengals.
That might be enough to get them past Denver, but it would do the Raiders a world of good to get McFadden back in the lineup as soon as possible.