Not only is a division title now officially out of reach for the Raiders, but Las Vegas didn’t take advantage of a chance to move up in the AFC playoff race, losing 44-27 to the Indianapolis Colts at Allegiant Stadium.
The Raiders (7-6) would have had the opportunity to get past both Indianapolis (9-4) by winning head-to-head and the Miami Dolphins, whose loss to the Kansas City Chiefs allowed Patrick Mahomes and Co. to clinch the organization’s fifth-straight AFC West title. Las Vegas slides to ninth in the AFC playoff picture, unless the Cleveland Browns can beat the eighth-seeded Baltimore Ravens on Monday Night Football. A Cleveland win would keep the Raiders in the eighth spot going into Week 15.
Las Vegas likely will need a win on a short week against the Los Angeles Chargers on “Thursday Night Football” in order to stay alive, as Baltimore’s remaining schedule (home against the Jacksonville Jaguars, New York Giants, then at the Cincinnati Bengals) features three of the NFL’s worst teams in 2020, and they likely will be favored heavily in all three.
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After the Chargers, the Raiders will face the Miami Dolphins and Denver Broncos respectively to close out the 2020 season. The Browns likely are out of reach in the playoff chase, but Miami and Baltimore remain just in sight.
Every game going forward for Las Vegas will be critical, and the Raiders will need to embody longtime owner Al Davis’ famous mantra, and “Just win, baby.”
Here's how the AFC playoff picture shapes up:
- Kansas City Chiefs (12-1) -- Clinched AFC West
- Pittsburgh Steelers (11-1) -- Clinched playoff berth
- Buffalo Bills (9-3)
- Tennessee Titans (9-4)
- Cleveland Browns (9-3)
- Indianapolis Colts (9-4)
- Miami Dolphins (8-5)
- Baltimore Ravens (7-5)
- Las Vegas Raiders (7-6)
- New England Patriots (6-7)
- Denver Broncos (5-8)