After arguably their best performance of the season against the Chiefs on Sunday Night Football, the Raiders completely fell apart in Week 12. Against the Falcons in Atlanta, the Raiders did everything that bad teams do on the road. They had countless penalties. They had multiple turnovers. They had drops and they failed to cover wide-open receivers.
The game was over quickly in the third quarter after multiple fumbles by the offense. Early in the fourth quarter, the Raiders benched Derek Carr in favor of Nathan Peterman to protect their franchise quarterback. Carr finished the game with 215 passing yards, no touchdowns, one interception and three lost fumbles.
After back-to-back losses, the Raiders are suddenly in trouble in terms of the Wild Card hunt. They sit at 6-5 and are now behind teams like the Browns, Colts and Dolphins. That doesn’t even mention the Ravens, who sit at 6-4 heading into Week 12. If the playoffs started today, the Raiders would be out of the playoff picture.
In order for the Raiders to make the playoffs, they will likely need to win four of their last five games. With games against the Colts and Dolphins coming off, that might be harder than initially expected. That is why this game was so important.
The Raiders will face the Jets in Week 13 in what is now a must-win game to keep the team’s playoff chances alive.
