Skip to main content

Raiders Chance at Postseason on Life Support

Stayin' alive. The Raiders did just that Sunday with a win over Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos to go 5-0 in the division.

The Chiefs and Chargers won, meaning the #Raiders need a lot of help to get to the postseason. Specifically, the Raiders need a Chiefs loss in week 16 and a Chargers loss in either week 16 or 17 as well as winning the next two games. Raiders must beat Peyton Manning and the Colts and the Chiefs in Kansas City. The Raiders must take care of business and they need help from the Denver Broncos or Cincinnati Bengals and the Tennessee Titans.

There is a reality check here. The Raiders need a ton of help from subpar teams. The postseason may well have been thrown out the window with the Raiders loss in Jacksonville or any of the other regrettable defeats the Raiders suffered this season. The team just wasn't quite there, but the team is bearing late season fruit and the harvest conditions are favorable for 2011.

With the playoffs simply a pipe dream, there is a reason to be optimistic. The Raiders have several rookies that are keepers and they avoided a 10-loss season.

In fact, the Raiders could win the next two and still miss the postseason at 9-7. The Raiders are 7-7 and before the season the realistic expectation was between 7 and 9 wins. Expectations have been met.

The offense has been better than expected. The defense has been slightly worse in some areas, but the fan sentiment remains overwhelmingly positive.

The Raiders could also benefit from a third place schedule in 2011 should the standing hold up. This bodes well for the continued resurgence in 2011.

Prior to kickoff on Sunday, the Raiders will know if their playoff hopes are alive, but don't be surprised if Tom Cable hides that information from his team until after the game. An eighth win could solidify Cable's job for another year.

Peyton Manning presents an unfamiliar challenge for the Raiders, one for which they will need a healthy Nnamdi Asomugha and Richard Seymour. Both of which remain a big question heading into week 16.

Before this digresses into a full blown season review, the focus should remain on the next opponent.

The Raiders certainly could use fan support on Sunday, so buy your tickets to (perhaps) the final home game of the season. Use the link at right to find tickets and view valuable ticket buying information. It is a great service and using it helps support your humble blogger.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Oakland Raiders Swing for the Fences in 2016 NFL Draft

[embed align="center"]http://gty.im/153039819[/embed] These aren't your daddy's Oakland Raiders or even your younger self's Raiders. If anything, these are your newborn's Raiders or your puppy's Raiders. These are the Raiders we've never seen before. Indicative of the freshness of the franchise was their 2016 NFL Draft. No longer slave to a high draft pick and desperate needs, the theme of the draft for the Raiders was upside. It's as if general manager Reggie McKenzie got so used to hitting his draft picks out of the park that he started swinging for the fences. We'll have to wait a couple of years before we know if he struck out or if he'll continue his Ruthian ways. First, McKenzie boldly went with a safety at No. 14 overall. Kyle Joseph is coming off a torn ACL and fills a major need, but safety isn't a premium position. Only a handful of safeties have been drafted in the first 14 picks in the last 15 years and include names like Ea...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Raiders aren't who we thought they were....they're better

The Oakland Raiders are tired of being the team that will be good in a year or two. The team expects to win now and it is winning now. We thought the Raiders needed more talent. We thought that being in the playoff hunt was a year away for this team, but we were wrong. This isn't the team we thought they were, they're better. On Sunday, they moved to 3-3 on Sunday with a 37-29 win over the San Diego Chargers that wasn't close until the final minute. It was also the Raiders second road win of the season. The last time the Raiders had two road wins by their sixth game was 2011. Before that, a five-year streak from 1998-2002. The Raiders went 8-8 in 1998, 1999 and 2011 and narrowly missed the playoffs each year.  They made the playoffs in 2000, 2001 and 2002. They didn't have a losing record in any of those seasons because teams that can win on the road are usually pretty good. As the season matures, there is more and more evidence that some of the "best-case scenario...
Post a Comment
Read more

Oakland Raiders' Studs and Duds From Preseason Week 1

[embed]http://gty.im/484069738[/embed] The Oakland Raiders finally look like a competitive football team again. That should be the biggest takeaway from their preseason rout of the St. Louis Rams. Quarterback Derek Carr and the offense looked significantly improved from a year ago, thanks in large part to some of the studs listed below. The starting defense was still a little shaky, but there were still a few bright spots. Overall, the Raiders can feel good about their first live action of the year, especially since there appeared to be no significant injuries to come out of it. Studs Rodney Hudson Of all general manager Reggie McKenzie's offseason acquisitions, he committed the most money to center Rodney Hudson. Offensive linemen rarely get the praise they deserve, but a great offensive line as anchored in the middle can be huge for an offense. Hudson was very solid in his debut against a very good defensive front. If Hudson and the offensive line can consistently protect Carr an...
3 comments
Read more