Raiders vs. Chargers: Why Darren McFadden Injury Cripples Oakland Offense

Oakland Raiders running back Darren McFadden left the team's Week 7 game against the Kansas City in the first quarter with a mid-foot sprain. Not surprisingly, the Raiders lost that contest 28-0, and after a bye in Week 8, the Arkansas product was still not healthy and Oakland dropped its Week 9 matchup against the Denver Broncos 38-24.

Tonight the Raiders will face the San Diego Chargers and McFadden is still reportedly wearing a walking boot and didn't travel to San Diego for the game. His absence is a huge blow to Oakland's running game and therefore its offense.

We all know the Raiders have major quarterback issues right now as the recently-acquired Carson Palmer is still adjusting to his new team. Tonight will be just Palmer's third game with the silver and black and we shouldn't expect him to be comfortable with the team's offense or his new receivers yet. That means the Raiders will have to rely heavily on their running game.

Michael Bush and Taiwan Jones will handle the running back duties in McFadden's absence and while Bush is a very nice inside runner and Jones has the ability to be explosive, neither guy can match what McFadden can do. 

In the six full games he played this season, Run DMC looked like a solid MVP candidate. Including the first quarter of the Kansas City game, he has rushed for 614 yards and four touchdowns on 113 carries. That's an average of 5.4 yards per tote. He has also caught 19 passes for 154 yards and another score. 

What McFadden brings to the table is a strong runner who can go inside and out and is also a threat to go the distance on every play. With Oakland struggling and ranking 19th in passing yards league wide (220.0 per game), their third-ranked rushing attack (151.9) needs McFadden present. Without him, the offense suffers tremendously as has been obvious in the Raiders' last two games.

McFadden has to get healthy quickly if Oakland wants a legitimate shot at winning the AFC West.