The Raiders’ Week 9 win over the Chargers was massive for a variety of reasons. They found a way to beat a divisional opponent on the road despite missing both of their offensive tackles. They survived a last-second play from the four-yard line that was initially ruled a touchdown but later reversed to an incompletion that helped save the day for the Raiders.
More importantly, the team moves to 5-3 after the first half of the 2020 season and that is quite an accomplishment considering their schedule. Entering Week 10, the Raiders currently have a 63 percent chance to make the playoffs, according to FiveThirtyEight.com.
Their projected win total is 10-6 and that’s not too hard to believe considering their upcoming schedule. Over the final eight weeks of the season, they will face just one team that made the playoffs last season (Chiefs) and only a few others that currently have a winning record.
While the AFC West crown isn’t completely out of the picture for Las Vegas considering the hold the current tiebreaker over Kansas City, the Raiders are more likely to compete for a Wild Card spot this season. With upcoming games against the Indianapolis Colts and Miami Dolphins, Jon Gruden’s team will have plenty of chances to secure a playoff berth this year for the first time since 2016.
Without several starters available yesterday, the Raiders found a way to get a win. It wasn’t always pretty, but that’s the sign of a good team. Just get a “W” by any means necessary. If the Raiders can go 5-3 in the second half of the season, they should be able to lock themselves into a playoff spot.
