NFL Week 7 Report Card: Grading Darren McFadden and the Oakland Raiders

The Oakland Raiders were expected to take a step forward this year and stake their claim as one of the league's best young teams.  Six weeks into the 2010 NFL season, head coach Tom Cable's squad looks too much like the Oakland teams of the last decade.

The Raiders record stands at a disheartening 2-4, and they enter Week 7's clash at Denver coming off a loss to the lowly San Francisco 49ers.  Despite that, there is reason for some guarded optimism by the Bay.

RB Darren McFadden has been one of the league's best RBs when healthy this season, and Oakland plays in one of the NFL's weakest divisions, the AFC West.  Though the Kansas City Chiefs have an early division lead at 3-2, the Raiders have a puncher's chance at winning the West.

After weeks of inconsistent play resulting in a losing record, the Oakland Raiders must get a win on Sunday against the Denver Broncos if they want any chance at challenging for a postseason berth.  In doing so, they'll need to exhibit the type of controlled performance that's been hard to come by for Oakland thus far in 2010.

Following are game-by-game grades of the Oakland Raiders as they enter a crucial Week 7 matchup in Denver against the Broncos.

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