Starting QB Bruce Gradkowski tore his MCL in both knees ending his 2009 season.  Gradkowski played in 7 games this season for the Raiders and he completed 82 of 150 passes (54.7%) for 1,007 yards with 6 TD passes and 3 INTs (80.6 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 18 times for 108 yards (6.0 ypc).  This is a huge injury for the Raiders as Gradkowski inspired the team to play better when he was on the field.

The Oakland Raiders (4-9) lost Bruce Gradkowski to knee injuries and the offense seemed to leave with him against the Washington Redskins (4-9) on Sunday.  JaMarcus Russell started the second half for Gradkowski, and the Raiders only managed to score 3 points in the second half with Russell at quarterback.  He didn’t get much help from the running game, but running back Darren McFadden did catch three passes for 84 yards.  With Russell at quarterback, the Raiders offense was terrible once again.

The Raiders defense kept them in the game for the first three quarters.  They could not stop the Redskins in the fourth though, and the Skins put up 17 points in the final quarter.  Redskins’ quarterback Jason Campbell did well against the Raiders defense, passing for 222 yards and 2 touchdowns on 16/28 passes.  The Redskins have been blowing fourth quarter leads, while the Raiders have had a few come from behind wins, but that wasn’t the case in this game.  It looks as if Gradkowski may be done for the year, which is bad news for the Raiders.

The Oakland Raiders (4-8) have been finding more success with Bruce Gradkowski as their quarterback, and they will be looking to continue some of that success against the Washington Redskins (3-9).  The Redskins are better then what their record shows, as they have lost a lot of close games.  The Raiders defense is pretty weak at stopping the run, but fortunately for them the Skins’ running backs are banged up.  Both Clinton Portis and LaDell Betts are out, so Quinton Ganther will start and share the carries with Rock Cartwright.  Although they are not the Redskins’ top backs, they are still solid NFL running backs so the Raiders need to bring it.  Jason Campbell had a big day in the air last week against the Saints, but he has been inconsistent and has thrown 12 interceptions this season.

Justin Fargas has had two solid games in a row for the Raiders at running back, but they are looking for him to take it to the next level.  The Redskins give up 121 rushing yards per game, so Fargas will have opportunities to make some plays.  Bruce Gradkowski makes this team go though, and when he plays well they have come from behind to win games.  If Gradkowski plays well the Raiders will have a great shot at winning as the Redskins cannot hold a lead.  Still, I’m going with the Redskins in a close one.

FINAL SCORE PREDICTION:  Washington Redskins 24, Oakland Raiders 20

The Raiders will be without starting guard Robert Gallery indefinitely due to a back injury.  Gallery has played in 6 games (6 starts) for the Raiders this season.  He has now played in 80 games (79 starts) in his six year NFL career.  Gallery will be missed as he has been a good player since moving inside to guard.

UPDATE:  Gallery is now out for the rest of the season for the Raiders and he will need some type of surgery to fix his back.

Bruce Gradkowski and the Oakland Raiders (4-8) played their best game of the season and took down the Pittsburgh Steelers (6-6).  Gradkowski put up some great numbers as he passed for 308 yards and 3 touchdowns while completing 20/33 pass attempts.  Gradkowski found receiver Louis Murphy only a few times, but Murphy had a lot of success.  He caught 4 passes for 128 yards and 2 touchdowns.  The Raiders also were successful on the ground, rushing for 109 yards as a team.

This was a good all-around effort for the Raiders, but the defense did have a let down late in the game.  With less than 2-minutes to go the Steelers scored to take a four point lead.  It looked like the Raiders upset was going to fall short, but Gradkowski and the Raiders’ offense had plenty of time to mount a comeback drive.  With nine seconds left Gradkowski and Murphy hooked up for their second touchdown of the game, and it was the game winner.  This was a great win for the Raiders and they are a much better football team without JaMarcus Russel under center.

The Oakland Raiders are away this week against the Pittsburgh Steelers.  Unfortunately for the Raiders, Ben Roethlisberger is back for the Steelers after missing last week with a concussion.  Roethlisberger won’t have to do too much though, and will be handing the ball off a lot since the Raiders really struggle at stopping the run.  Rashard Mendenhall will likely run all over the Raiders weak run-defense and this could be a tough game for the Raiders defense.

The Raiders offense has been awful all year, especially their passing game.  Bruce Gradkowski has been much more effective than JaMarcus Russell, but that is not saying much at all.  The Steelers have a great run-defense so they are going to need Gradkowski to have a big game.  Gradkowski is not the type of guy to win a game on his own, so this will likely be another blowout loss for the Raiders.

FINAL SCORE PREDICTION:  Oakland Raiders 7, Pittsburgh Steelers 28

26-year old QB Bruce Gradkowski replaced JaMarcus Russell two weeks ago and the Raiders’ offense has improved.  He has completed 35 of 69 passes (50.7%) for 383 yards with 3 TD passes and 1 INT in his two starts.  He has also carried the ball 9 times for 38 yards (4.2 ypc).  Gradkowski has been a good game manager and he has done a great job of protecting the football.  He has now played in 5 games (2 starts) this season overall for the Raiders and he has completed 52 of 99 passes (52.5%) for 546 yards with 3 TD passes and 3 INTs (66.3 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 12 times for 72 yards (6.0 ypc) so far this season.  Gradkowski is playing for his future right now so look for him to keep doing a decent job for the Raiders.