Why Bye Week Will Cure All That Ails Carson Palmer, Raiders

The bye week couldn't have come at a better time for Carson Palmer and the Oakland Raiders.

Oakland suffered the worst beating of their season, losing 28-0 to the division-rival Kansas City Chiefs and falling one game behind the San Diego Chargers for first place in the AFC West.

Quarterback Carson Palmer, who was acquired by the "Silver and Black" earlier this week, made his debut in the second half to replace a struggling Kyle Boller. Palmer did not fare any better, completing eight of 22 passes and throwing three interceptions.

The 31-year-old quarterback had not appeared in a game since Week 17 of 2010, when he was still a Cincinnati Bengal. Palmer practiced with the Raiders for the first time Thursday afternoon and now will have the bye week to watch game film, continue to learn the playbook and get a bit of extra practice with his receiving corps. There was obviously a reason Palmer was not named the starter for Sunday's game and his lack of preparation showed en route to the demoralizing loss.

The bye week will require work from the contending Raiders, but it will also allow rest for what is becoming a severely depleted unit. Kicker Sebastian Janikowski, linebacker Rolando McClain and running back Darren McFadden will need the week, if not more time, to recover from their various injuries.

McFadden, the NFL's leading rusher coming into Week 7, sprained his right foot in the first half and did not return. Janikowski is suffering from a hamstring injury which forced him to miss practice this week and not play Sunday. McClain was questionable heading into Sunday's tilt with Kansas City and left in the second quarter after re-injuring his left ankle. The second-year linebacker returned in the third quarter to finish the game.

The Raiders have proven they are a quality team after beating the New York Jets and Houston Texans earlier in the season, but will have to prove they still are contenders in their Week 9 matchup with the Denver Broncos.