Week 3 was almost a must-win game for the Raiders. After starting the season off 0-2, they needed a win against another AFC contender in the Titans. Instead, they lost another close game late in the fourth quarter.
Before Week 3, the Raiders had a 16 percent chance to make the playoffs per FiveThirtyEight. But after this latest loss, those odds dropped to 12 percent after Week 3.
The good news for the Raiders is that they aren’t too far out from the division lead as the Chargers and Chiefs both lost in Week 3. Still, their odds of winning the AFC West sits at just 4 percent.
If the Raiders want to have any chance of making the playoffs this season, they have to get a win against the Broncos in Week 4. That game is at home, so that will help. But it’s a game that the Raiders must get in order to keep their playoff hopes alive.
And if they are able to steal that game, they would be right back in the AFC West hunt. The Chiefs play the Buccaneers in Tampa Bay in Week 4, so it’s reasonable to think that the leader of the AFC West could be 2-2 after the first month of the season.
Needless to say, it’s a must-win game for the Raiders now in Week 4.
