A lot went right for the Raiders in Week 12. They played one of their better games of the season and beat the Dallas Cowboys on their home turf in the most-watched game of the season. Las Vegas improved to 6-5 and snapped a three-game losing streak.
That’s not the only thing that went well for them in Week 12. In the AFC, they saw other playoff contenders such as the Chargers, Browns, Colts and Steelers all lose on Sunday.
While they still don’t currently own a spot in the playoffs (if the season ended today), they are much closer now than they were a week ago. How much closer are they to the playoffs?
According to FiveThirtyEight, the Raiders currently have a 25 percent chance to make the playoffs this season. That is up from only 9 percent a week ago. That is quite the improvement in just a few days.
Up next for the Raiders are the Washington Football Team, who play tonight against the Seattle Seahawks. If the Raiders can secure a win in that meeting (in Las Vegas), they’ll see their playoff odds almost double.
As we enter December, the Raiders are firmly in the thick of things in the AFC. They’ll need to rattle off some wins and some luck going forward to make the playoffs, but they are in the playoff hunt for the third consecutive season.
It’ll be fascinating to see if this is the year the Raiders finally break through and make it to the playoffs.
