Enter Texans coach Bill O’Brien. His team is currently the No. 4 seed, and its only chance of moving up is for the Chargers to upset the Chiefs.
NFL
Despite their penchant for thinking games are over at halftime and their rash of injuries to key players, the Raiders are not eliminated from the NFL playoffs.
The curtain is coming down Sunday on the Black Hole of the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum and will be raised at Allegiant Stadium in August.
In 14 December games, Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry has carried 225 times for 1,176 yards and 14 touchdowns. He ran for 149 yards last week at Indianapolis.
This game presents the biggest coaching challenge for Jon Gruden since he left the broadcasting booth. His team is young, and its confidence was badly shaken last weekend.
The Jets have been a mess for most of the year, but you cannot overstate how much quarterback Sam Darnold’s battle with mono earlier this season set the franchise back.
If the Raiders (5-4) defeat the Bengals on Sunday and the Chargers upset the Chiefs (6-4) on Monday, the Raiders would vault into first place in the AFC West.
The Raiders showed grit and young, improving talent in rallying to beat the L.A. Chargers on Thursday night.
After a two-month absence from the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, the Raiders return Sunday to play the Detroit Lions. The Raiders are 2½-point favorites.
The Raiders could be close to full strength when they meet Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers on Sunday at Lambeau Field.
Win and the Raiders are off to London to play Khalil Mack and the Bears with a 2-2 record. But lose and they are 1-3 and looking at a 1-6 start to the season.
Kansas City scored 40 points in a victory at Jacksonville in Week 1, and the Raiders have serious injury concerns in their defensive backfield.