Oakland Raiders Show They’re Getting Close in Tough Loss

Sep 21, 2014; Foxborough, MA, USA; Oakland Raiders running back Darren McFadden (20) carries the ball during the fourth quarter against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium. The New England Patriots won 16-9. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports

It’s Coming

His numbers look pedestrian as he hasn’t had much room to run so far this season but Darren McFadden is running hard. We can also see the burst that Raiders fans have come to know and love is back as he shows it with the smallest of spaces. McFadden is also pretty unlucky these days as he had bad holding calls bring back a 21-yard run in Week 2 and a 6-yard touchdown run yesterday.

The biggest thing is he’s healthy now as we know good things will come to him if he can maintain his health. And even that looks good right now because he has come full circle when it comes to the way he runs. His first couple of years, he ran to high and his knees and ankles got beat up because of it. Then in 2010, he finally started to run behind his pads and protect his legs so he was able to stay healthy enough for a 1,000-yard season.

Then the foot injury came in 2011 and when he came back, he started having those knee and ankle problems again because he went back to running too high. This year so far, he seems to have corrected that again so I actually like his chances to make it through this season. As soon as the Raiders can throw the ball more than five yards in the air more often, there will be less in the box and McFadden will start getting his.