AFC playoff picture is looking good for the Oakland Raiders
With the Oakland Raiders currently sitting at 6-2 on the year, things are looking pretty good. There is still a whole second half of the season to be played but when you take a look at the AFC Playoff picture, it’s hard to imagine a scenario where the Raiders are unable to make it to the dance. Unless of course, the team completely tanks the last eight games, but that’s not something we need to talk about unless it actually happens.
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As we all know, in the NFL, six teams from each conference make the playoffs. Those six teams consist of the four division winners and two wild cards. If the season ended on Monday, here is what the seeding would look like:
New England Patriots
Oakland Raiders
Houston Texans
Pittsburgh Steelers
Denver Broncos
Kansas City Chiefs
Look at that and let it sink in for a moment. No, not the fact that the Raiders are the number two seed. Don’t get me wrong, that’s amazing but what’s most interesting is that three AFC West teams make the playoffs if the season ended today.
That’s in part because the AFC West has some very good teams but also in part because the AFC as a whole is rather weak. Exactly half of the AFC has a record that is below .500 through the first half of the season and 10 of the 16 teams are at .500 or below.
That means only six teams are above .500 at the half way point and one of those teams, the Steelers, have only played seven games so far and could find themselves in the .500 club after eight games with a loss next weekend. It also means that none of the teams who are not currently slotted to make the playoffs have a record better than .500 on the year.
It’s clearly a down year for the AFC and the Raiders are in prime position to take advantage of it. Obviously we would like to see the Raiders continue to improve and have a better second half of the year. But it’s also good to know that they have a good chance of making the playoffs even if they only go .500 the rest of the way.
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