The Oakland Raiders are reeling.
Two weeks ago, they appeared to be in great shape with a one-game lead in the AFC West and in complete control of their postseason chances.
They responded by trying to scuttle their playoff ship.
Oakland traveled to Miami riding a three-game winning streak but got drubbed by the lowly Dolphins. The Raiders followed that disappointment with a blowout loss to the undefeated Green Bay Packers last weekend.
In those two games, the defense looked disinterested and the offense inept.
The Raiders” defense gave up too many yards and too many points, mostly because of an ineffective pass rush.
Oakland”s defensive linemen have earned just three sacks in the last two games – unacceptable totals for a defense that can succeed only if it harasses the quarterback.
The players and coaches need to quickly correct that issue otherwise the Raiders could easily yield 30-plus points to each of their final three opponents.
Of course it”s hard for Oakland to play consistent defense with its offense not scoring and turning the ball over so much.
To be fair, the offense has been missing three of its most explosive players (running back Darren McFadden and wide receivers Jacoby Ford and Denarius Moore) but injuries aren”t the reason the Raiders were outscored by a combined 50 points in the last two games.
Michael Bush, who starred early after McFadden was sidelined, averaged just 48 rushing yards in the two losses.
More importantly, quarterback Carson Palmer struggled mightily, especially in Green Bay where he threw four interceptions.
His season totals leave much to be desired: 3-3 record as a starter, 13 interceptions (and one fumble lost) compared to just nine touchdown passes, a 56.2-percent completion rate and a 70.8 passer rating.
Granted he spent the first few months of the season away from the NFL hoping the Cincinnati Bengals would let him go. Still, Palmer has regressed in recent weeks and is hurting his new team.
Maybe his fortunes will change for the better if and when the three injured stars return.
Then again, maybe the Raiders should hope for the return of another hurt starter who went to school in the South.
Yes, Oakland gave up a lot to get Palmer and could owe him even more. Of course he was a great NFL quarterback at one time. And he”s only had six starts with the team (and none with McFadden healthy).
But Oakland was 4-2 when led by Jason Campbell this year. He posted better numbers and was unequivocally the team”s leader before getting knocked out with a collarbone injury.
The division lead has disappeared. The Denver Tebows look like they can”t lose and the wild-card chances look almost as bleak (though Oakland trails by just one game in both races).
The Raiders pretty much need to win their last three games and get some help to reach the playoffs, and nothing should come between them and a chance to achieve that goal (not even head coach Hue Jackson”s pride and support of an old friend).
Palmer will get the start in Oakland against the resurgent Detroit Lions Sunday afternoon, but if he can”t find a rhythm (or at the very least hold on to the ball), the Raiders” postseason hopes will most likely be sunk.
Even if they win and Palmer struggles, the Raiders will have to consider putting Campbell under center if he”s healthy.
Trading for Palmer was a move to fix an immediate problem and preserve playoff potential. Replacing him might serve the same purpose.
