Two more wins. That is all the Raiders need to make the playoffs this season. After a 6-7 start, the Raiders have won back-to-back games and have put themself into a position to steal a Wild Card spot in the AFC.
But will they actually do it? We know that multiple prediction sites give the Raiders about a 30 percent chance to make the playoffs this season. However, not everyone believes they will actually get it done.
In a recent article by Seth Walder of ESPN Analytics, they simulated the final two weeks of the regular season using “FPI”. Here is what their model predicted the final scores for the next two weeks for the Raiders:
Week 17: Colts 26, Raiders 10
Week 18: Raiders 20, Chargers 19
In this scenario, the Raiders would wind up one game short of making the playoffs in 2021. Instead, the Chargers would get in at 9-8 (via several tiebreakers) and the Raiders would finish as the No. 8 seed in the AFC.
What’s interesting here is that the Raiders could possibly make the playoffs if they were to lose against the Colts in Week 17. However, they would need the Steelers, Chargers, and Ravens to all lose this week. It’s not likely that all three teams lose, but it’s not impossible either.
Needless to say, the next two weeks are going to be wild for the Raiders. But if they can get an upset win over the Colts in Week 17, they’ll have a great shot at making the playoffs for the first time since 2017.
