On Sunday, the Oakland Raiders will take on the Indianapolis Colts in a critical Week 4 matchup. Just how big is the game for the 1-2 Raiders? That’s up for debate. But with games against the Bears, Packers, Texans, and Chargers all on the schedule in the next five weeks, Oakland has to get another win on the board.
According to FiveThirtyEight, the Raiders have just a seven percent chance of making the playoff. With a loss in Week 4, those odds would drop all the way under two percent. But with a win, their odds would increase to 25-30 percent, depending on some of the other outcomes from this weekend.
If Oakland could get to 2-2, they might be able to survive their brutal road schedule. The second half of the season gets much easier for the Raiders, with games against the Jets, Bengals, Titans, Broncos, and Jaguars.
But before they can think about those contests, they need to focus on beating the banged-up Colts, who will likely be missing three key starters in T.Y. Hilton, Darius Leonard, and Malik Hooker. Oakland can ill-afford to lose this contest despite the game being on the road. So yes, this is a must-win game for the Raiders in Week 4.
