Al Saunders Says Carson Palmer Will Play…If He’s Breathing

Oakland Raiders offensive coordinator Al Saunders told Bob Fescoe of 610 Sports this morning that Carson Palmer would play this weekend against the Chiefs “if he’s breathing.”

Since my guess is that Palmer still plans on being alive this Sunday when the Chiefs come to Oakland, I’d wager there is a pretty good chance Palmer could play.

Look, this could all be a big smoke screen by the Raiders. Last night at his press conference, Raiders coach Hue Jackson would not indicate whether or not Palmer would start. Obviously the Silver and Black don’t want the Chiefs to have any kind of advantage.

We likely won’t know anything for certain until Sunday but the fact of the matter is that the Raiders gave up a whole hell of a lot to get Palmer, and they can’t afford to lose and fall further behind the Chargers. My guess is that the Raiders would be running a pretty basic passing game on Sunday whether they had Boller or Palmer playing, so why not go with Palmer?