The calendar is about to turn to November and the Oakland Raiders are playing meaningful football games.
Save for the 2010 and 2011 seasons when the team went 8-8 in both years, that phrase qualified as an oxymoron as the team is seeking its first winning season since 2002. The Raiders improved to 3-3 with a 37-29 win over the San Diego Chargers but score was not indicative of how much Oakland dominated. The Raiders led 37-6 after three quarters.
Bay Area media and fans alike are using terms like “playoff contender” and “playoff bound.” However, those terms are very different. Are the Raiders a playoff contender? Right now, you’d be crazy to say they are not. Oakland is the No. 7 seed in the AFC and six teams go to the playoffs. Translation, the Raiders are in the mix. Are they playoff bound? Again, Oakland is a substantially better team than it has been for much of the past decade plus but there are ten games left, too soon to make playoff reservations for a team that has not been on the radar.
In their first six games, the Raiders have cleared a couple of significant hurdles that were an albatross in years past. They have won two games on the road, including one in the Eastern Time Zone. Entering this season, Oakland had an 11-game road losing skid and had not won in the Eastern Time Zone since 2009. Another important hurdle the Raiders have cleared, they proved that they can play competitively against an elite club. Cincinnati blew Oakland’s doors off 33-13 in the season opener. The Raiders lost 16-10 to Denver despite keeping the Broncos offense out of the end zone. Cincinnati and Denver are each 6-0.
New England is also an unbeaten team leading its division (AFC East). The Raiders next two opponents, the New York Jets and Pittsburgh Steelers, are each 4-2. The problem Oakland faces is that the AFC South winner gets an automatic berth. That division is awful as Indianapolis leads it with a 3-4 record. While power rankings can be subjective, I would argue that if one were to do AFC power rankings, the Raiders would be ahead of the Colts.
Perhaps the biggest reason to pump the brakes on saying the Raiders are “playoff bound” is that the three teams they have beaten are a combined 5-16. So far, all Oakland has proven is that a) it can beat the teams it is better than and b) can play competitively against higher-end foes. Those are no small hurdles considering where the Raiders have been the last 13 years.
Coming into this season, most people (myself included), viewed the Raiders as a team that will be much improved but will fall short of a playoff berth. However, who says you have to be a slave to the script?
Now, it’s time to get a signature win against a playoff caliber club. The Raiders next three opponents are exactly that. After playing the Jets and Steelers, Oakland hosts Minnesota, which is 4-2 and in playoff contention in the NFC.
Going forward, for the Raiders to have a realistic chance at making the postseason, they need to win two of their next three games. That goal is attainable.
The Jets are a much improved team that has exceeded expectations thanks to a solid defense and an efficient offense. New York will pose a tough test for Oakland. However, there are two factors that could be considered an equalizer for the Raiders on Sunday. The Jets invested a lot of energy against New England, its most heated rival, before losing 30-23. New York also has to make a cross country trip.
Oakland then follows with a trip to Pittsburgh. The Raiders have won the last two meeting but the Steelers will get a lift with the return of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.
While Minnesota is a much-improved team, it is 2-8 in road games under second-year head coach Mike Zimmer. One of those road losses includes a 20-3 setback earlier this season against lowly San Francisco.
The opportunity is squarely in front of the Raiders to hasten their arrival to being a playoff team.
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