The Raiders didn’t get the win they were hoping for on Sunday Night Football. They played one heckuva game as they nearly pulled off another big upset against the Chiefs in Week 11.
Heading into Week 12, they have a record of 6-4 and are tied with several other teams for a potential playoff berth. The Baltimore Ravens, Miami Dolphins and Raiders all sit at 6-4 as they fight for the No. 7 seed in the AFC. It is worth noting that the Browns, Titans and Colts all sit at 7-3 and are just one game ahead of the Raiders.
But despite the crowded AFC Wild Card picture, FiveThirtyEight believes their odds of making the playoffs are actually pretty good. Heading into Week 11, those odds sat at 70 percent. Even after a loss, they moved down just to 67 percent in the site’s quarterback-adjusted forecast.
Part of the reason the site is so bullish on the Raiders moving forward is that they already have a win against the Browns and still have upcoming games against the Colts and Dolphins. They have the potential to own all those tiebreakers and with games still to play against the Jets, Broncos and Chargers, the schedule is fairly easy.
What we saw from the Raiders on Sunday Night Football was that they are a team that can hang with anyone in the NFL. While they didn’t ultimately get the win, this sure looks like a playoff team that no one will want to play come the playoffs. But in order to do that, they will likely need to win at least four of their next six games. Game on.
[vertical-gallery id=76383]
[lawrence-newsletter]