Eliminated: Raiders needed perfection and help to make late playoff push, fall just short
Ah, the playoffs. It was a nice dream while it lasted. What was once unfathomable for the Raiders became very thinkable with wins over the Chargers and Chiefs in the past two weeks, ended Sunday in Indianapolis with a 23-20 loss to the Colts.
With a month left in the season, the Raiders were coming off three0-straight losses and were to put them at 5-8. Discussion naturally shifted to that of draft position as they were one loss away from a losing record.
Then the Raiders didn’t just stave off that losing record, but they did so by blowing out the Chargers and beating the Chiefs in Kansas City.
Suddenly the talk was about the AFC West title in play with two games left.
In order to do it, the Raiders would have to win out — which would mean four straight wins to end the season — while the Chiefs would have to lose their last three.
With the way each team was playing, both scenarios seemed very possible.
That possibility lasted six days. The Raiders were unable to hold up their end of it thus went from dreams of their first division title in 21 years to another season watching the playoffs.
It was the defense that saved the day in Kansas City to put them in this position while the offense couldn’t score. The offense again faltered in Indianapolis — falling behind 14-3 early, never leading, and failing to score a touchdown until the third quarter — and the defense couldn’t pick up the slack.
The Chiefs face off against the Bengals Sunday afternoon. Should the Chiefs win, they clinch the AFC West for the ninth straight season. Should they lose, and the Broncos beat the Chargers, the Raiders season finale could hold some significance as it could decide whether it’s the Chiefs or Broncos who win the division.
