text: After flying to Houston for a match with the Texans, the Raiders were stunned by the news that Al Davis had died at his home on October 8 after having been with the franchise for all but its first three years of existence. A last-second interception from Texans quarterback Matt Schaub allowed the Raiders to win that game, but in the next week's match with Cleveland (a 24–17 win), Jason Campbell sustained a season-ending collarbone fracture. With backups Kyle Boller and Terrell Pryor considered unsuitable to replace him, the Raiders made a desperation bid with Cincinnati to acquire quarterback Carson Palmer, who had retired after a feud with that team, but was still under contract with them. With Al Davis's passing, Hue Jackson was effectively in charge of all on-field decisions and he finally convinced Bengals owner Mike Brown to give up Palmer in exchange for Oakland's 2012 first-round draft pick. With the trade for Palmer complete, Kyle Boller was still needed to start their Week 7 matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs. During the contest, Boller threw three interceptions to open the game while Palmer replaced him early in the second half. However, he also threw three interceptions, and the Raiders lost to the Chiefs 28–0.
  With the AFC West extremely weak, the Raiders vacillated between 3rd and 1st place as the season progressed. A three-game losing streak in December badly harmed their playoff chances, but up to Week 17, they remained in contention to clinch the division. However, the Raiders lost a must-win game at home to San Diego and so for the ninth year in a row failed to make the playoffs or produce a winning record.
  The Dennis Allen years (2012–2014)