The fans still bitter about the lopsided trade that brought him to Oakland and unfairly thrust him into a situation he was weeks away from being able to handle.
But despite all of that, Palmer has done surprisingly well.
Surrounded by an offense in transit and one that has struggled to provide any sort of run support, Palmer has been excellent this season.
Don't believe me?
Consider that Palmer is eighth in the league in passing yards per game, averaging 294 yards despite missing many of his top targets for huge chunks of the season. With 13 touchdowns and eight interceptions, Palmer also ranks above guys like Eli Manning, Joe Flacco and Matthew Stafford in passer rating.
And yet, the haters will find just two words in the previous paragraph: eight interceptions.
So with this as a backdrop, Palmer entered Oakland's home game against Tampa Bay this past weekend needing a big performance for Oakland to get a much-needed win. If the Raiders had any chance at the postseason, this was the type of game they needed to win.
As teams usually do, Oakland began the game hoping to establish the run, but just like they have all season, they couldn't.
In the first half, Oakland ran for just 16 yards on eight carries.
Despite their inability to develop a balanced attack, the Raiders led 10-7 going into halftime, but a disastrous third quarter changed everything.
The Bucs scored 21 straight points in the third quarter as the Oakland defense collapsed, giving them a 28-10 lead. Offensively, the Raiders lost running back Darren McFadden to injury, forcing them to abandon the run—rushing just once out of a total of 18 offensive plays.
As the fourth quarter began with the Raider offense still on the field, Palmer marched Oakland down the field before throwing a touchdown ...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Oakland Raiders
