It won’t be easy, but the Oakland Raiders can still make the postseason.
Yes, it is possible, but by the looks of it, the Raiders will need a Christmas miracle this weekend to be playing January football.
Oakland Raiders Hail Mary
Nothing is impossible in the NFL, just ask Warren Moon and the Houston Oilers about a little playoff game in Buffalo some years ago.
But for the Raiders to make the postseason they need a lot to happen this weekend, and here is how it needs to go down.
First and foremost, they need to win.
so you're saying there's a chance pic.twitter.com/CrhncgPtew
— Sunday Night Football (@SNFonNBC) December 23, 2019
Step one is simple if you are Oakland – beat Denver. The Raiders have to beat the Broncos on the road to get the ball rolling.
While the Raiders are playing Denver, they may be doing a lot of scoreboard watching, because here is where it becomes a mess.
Raiders need help – a lot of help
Oakland doesn’t hold their fate in their own hands. If they can best the Broncos on Sunday afternoon, they still need a series of events to occur to make the playoffs – and here they are.
- The Colts need to defeat the Jaguars
- The Texans have to beat the Titans
- The Ravens must take down the Steelers
Believe it or not, the final must-have for Oakland may be the toughest of the bunch. With the Baltimore Ravens officially clinching the top seed in the AFC on Sunday, their game against Pittsburgh means zero to them.
With the Steelers still holding onto a playoff possibility, this game could become one-sided pretty early. The majority of the Ravens starters will be sitting this one out, however, Raiders fans can always hope that Baltimore backup QB Robert Griffin III could pull some magic out of his hat and lead the Ravens to an upset.
If all of this should happen, the Raiders also need one of the following teams to win as well – the Lions, Bears, Chargers or Patriots.