The Raiders, one of the NFL's worst-rushing teams, were dealt a blow last weekend against the Buccaneers, and not only because they suffered a 42-32 home loss. Running back Darren McFadden left the game late in the second quarter with what appeared to be a leg injury, and although X-rays were negative, he is dealing with a high ankle sprain, according to the Associated Press.
To add insult to injury, backup running back Mike Goodson also went down with a high ankle sprain and was scheduled to undergo an MRI on Monday, per the AP. That leaves Oakland with Taiwan Jones in the backfield.
There is some good news in all of this: Head coach Dennis Allen hasn't yet ruled out either McFadden or Goodson for Sunday's game. But don't expect either of them to play.
High ankle sprains take weeks to heal, and there's no way Allen is going to rush either of these guys back onto the field—but especially McFadden, the star of this backfield and someone who, when he's healthy, is capable of electrifying this offense.
While the Raiders may be 3-5, all hope is not lost for them in 2012—at least not yet. They're not too far behind Denver and San Diego in the AFC West standings, and they still have plenty of games to play and plenty of opportunities to make up some ground. A second-half surge isn't out of the question; it's not entirely probable with this team, but it's not impossible, either.
Oakland has a whole bunch of winnable games on the horizon: It faces the Chiefs, the Bengals, the Browns and the Panthers over the course of the next eight weeks. The Raiders will have opportunities, but they're not going to be able to capitalize on any of those opportunities without a backfield. And bringing back M...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Oakland Raiders
