CBS’ Phil Simms broke a bit of news during Sunday’s telecast when he revealed Raiders running back Darren McFadden’s “mid-foot sprain” was a Lisfranc injury.
That helps explain why McFadden hasn’t been seen since mid-October. The Raiders haven’t said much about his injury all along, and Hue Jackson didn’t see what the big deal was.
“I mean, that’s what we said - it’s a sprained foot, Lisfranc, whatever you want to call it,” Jackson said. “Basically the same thing. I think Darren will be back before the season’s over. And when we get him back, we’ll get him back.”
The Raiders are running out of time. The offense is falling apart without McFadden, Denarius Moore, and Jacoby Ford. Jackson insists McFadden does not need surgery, but there have been no signs that he’s close to returning.
McFadden has proven he’s an elite running back when healthy, but he’s yet to make it through a season healthy. It’s fair to wonder if he’ll return in time this season to make a difference.