The Raiders are still mathematically alive for the playoffs, but it’s essentially going to take a miracle for them to reach the postseason after falling to the Titans on Sunday.
NFL
Heading into the biggest game of the season, the Raiders will be without their starting right tackle and perhaps even star running back Josh Jacobs.
DeShone Kizer, a former Notre Dame standout who started 15 games for the Cleveland Browns in 2017 as a rookie, is being promoted to the No. 2 quarterback spot this week.
Derek Carr has another rough game in the cold weather, and the Raiders are their own worst enemy in blowout loss to the Chiefs.
For the Raiders to leave Kansas City with a share of first place in the AFC West, they need to play flawless on defense and Derek Carr needs to slay his cold-weather demons.
Hunter Renfrow and Derek Carr had uncanny chemistry, especially on third downs. Replicating that will be a challenge for the Raiders.
“I think this will be good for us,” said wide receiver Tyrell Williams. “We have a stretch of five games left, and we’re going to make a playoff push.”
The Raiders’ 34-3 loss to the New York Jets on Sunday likely revealed some harsh truths about where they really are as a franchise.
The easy thing would be to say the Raiders simply got caught looking ahead on Sunday, and that the 34-3 beatdown the Jets unleashed on them was retribution for peeking a little too far into the future and overlooking an outclassed opponent.
A showdown awaits the Raiders next week against the Kansas City Chiefs, but they can’t get caught looking ahead of the Jets, who they play on Sunday
As a big opportunity awaits the Raiders, here are three things to keep an eye on Sunday.
The Raiders have the second most penalties in the NFL, and they realize they can’t keep that pace up as they head down the final stretch of the playoff race
The Raiders have a league-best plus-5 turnover ratio the last three games, and it’s little surprise that it coincides with their three-game winning streak
