Even before the Raiders faced the Chargers on Thursday, they were in need of some help in order to get in the playoffs. Then they lost to the Chargers, which meant they reeeaally needed some help. This weekend they got none.
The matchups the Raiders needed to go a certain way in order to give them their best shot at keeping their playoff hopes alive went thusly:
Patriots over Dolphins
Jaguars over Ravens
Lions over Titans
Giants over Browns
In each instance, the team they needed to lose ended up winning. The Browns completed the sweep Sunday night.
Remarkably, even with that brutal weekend, the Raiders are not officially out of it. The odds are just considerably against them now.
Playoff picture:
| Seed | Team | Division | Record | Div seed | Conf record |
| 1 | yx-Kansas City | West | 13-1-0 | 1 | 10-1-0 |
| 2 | yx-Buffalo | East | 11-3-0 | 1 | 8-2-0 |
| 3 | x-Pittsburgh | North | 11-3-0 | 1 | 8-2-0 |
| 4 | Tennessee | South | 10-4-0 | 1 | 7-4-0 |
| 5 | Cleveland | North | 10-4-0 | 2 | 6-4-0 |
| 6 | Indianapolis | South | 10-4-0 | 2 | 6-4-0 |
| 7 | Miami | East | 9-5-0 | 2 | 6-4-0 |
In the hunt:
| Seed | Team | Division | Record | Div seed | Conf record |
| 8 | Baltimore | North | 9-5-0 | 3 | 6-5-0 |
| 9 | Las Vegas | West | 7-7-0 | 2 | 5-5-0 |
As you can see, the Raiders are clinging by a thin thread, two games back from the next teams with two games left.
Next week could very well end those hopes. There are just two games that matter. Their own game against the Dolphins and the Ravens vs Giants. If the Raiders lose or the Ravens win, the Raiders are out. In fact, the Raiders must win out the season and the Dolphins and Ravens must lose out in order for the Raiders to get in.
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