Raiders’ McFadden looks sharp

OAKLAND, Calif. – Darren McFadden needed one series to show he’s in midseason form for Oakland following a foot injury that cut his last season short.

Most of the rest of the first-team offensive players for the Raiders and Dallas Cowboys need plenty of work to get back to that level.

McFadden picked up where he left off last season by gaining 38 yards on Oakland’s first three plays of the exhibition season and the Raiders went on to lose to the Dallas Cowboys 3-0 on Monday night.

“He was able to make some explosive gains,” Raiders coach Dennis Allen said. “We have to find ways to get him the ball and give him an opportunity to be explosive for us.”

McFadden, who missed the last nine games of 2011 with a Lisfranc injury to his right foot, opened the game with a 4-yard run, an 18-yard reception and a 16-yard run to delight of the Raiders fans.

But Carson Palmer threw an interception to Gerald Sensabaugh on the next play for Oakland and both the Raiders and Cowboys struggled to generate much of anything until the reserves took over in the second half.

“We made some mistakes and it cost us,” Dallas quarterback Tony Romo said.

Kyle Orton drove Dallas 67 yards on the opening drive of the second half to set up Dan Bailey’s 33-yard field goal and that proved to be the only scoring of the night.

The game marked the first real action as a pro for Terrelle Pryor, the former Ohio State star quarterback who had no official plays as a rookie with Oakland.

Pryor completed 8 of 15 passes for 50 yards, was sacked twice and was quick to leave the pocket to scramble, running six times for 21 yards. He put Oakland in position to score but Eddy Carmona missed a 36-yard field goal wide right with 6:44 remaining. Pryor then threw an interception on fourth-and-26 in the final minute to end the game.