On Wednesday Adam Schefter reported that the Raiders were “holding out hope that Darren McFadden can somehow play” this Sunday. That report was met with some skepticism since the Raiders were initially reported to have kept him out of the Chiefs game for precautionary reasons. That theory was squashed yesterday afternoon when McFadden was spotted leaving the practice facility on crutches with a boot on his right foot.
So what’s the realistic timetable for his return? It’s a question even the Raiders and McFadden can’t answer at this point, but this is what we know.
According to Dr. Eckenrode at Penn Sports Medicine, mid-foot sprains similar to McFadden’s generally take 2-4 weeks to heal if it’s a low grade sprain. If the ligament is partially torn, the process can take up to a couple months. If the tear is more severe it can require surgery. Obviously the Raiders won’t divulge this information any time soon.
At this point it’s safe to assume McFadden will be out more than two weeks. This Sunday will be the two week mark. Considering he was still toting crutches and a boot after nine days, there’s probably at least another couple weeks before he’s able to push off his foot enough to take on football activities.
It may be that a realistic return date for McFadden could be week 11 when the Raiders travel to Minnesota. If that’s the case, he would miss two more games – Denver and San Diego. I think the team will do everything they can to miraculously have him back next Thursday night in San Diego, but it’s hard to imagine him being able to play at an elite level in just a week from today.
The Raiders are used to McFadden missing chunks of time on the injury report, which is why Michael Bush was such a necessity in the offseason. Bush will probably get the start this weekend and expect a little Taiwan Jones sprinkled in to keep things interesting. The Denver defense gave up 4.5 yards per carry Maurice Morris last week, so I would expect similar results from Bush. That said, the Lions have a threat in Calvin Johnson that requires alot more attention than any Raider wideout. The Broncos to make the McFadden-less Raiders beat them with Carson Palmer and his new receivers.
And hopefully that’s exactly what happens.
Posted on November 3, 2011
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