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Why the Oakland Raiders will go 13-3 and Win the AFC West

By Gagan Aujla

Dec 4, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr (4) stands in the team huddle against the Buffalo Bills in the second quarter at Oakland Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 4, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr (4) stands in the team huddle against the Buffalo Bills in the second quarter at Oakland Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Oakland Raiders will win the AFC West and finish the regular season 13-3. Here’s why.

The Oakland Raiders did not do themselves any favors by losing to the Chiefs on Thursday Night. It subsequently dropped them to 10-3 and a current #5 seed in the AFC playoffs, and are in need of some assistance in these last three games in order to clinch the AFC West. But here’s why the Raiders will win out and take the division crown.

The Raiders have three games left on the 2016 regular season against the Chargers, Colts and the Broncos. All three of these games are extremely winnable.

What some will miss here is that following every loss this season, the Raiders have followed it up with a win streak. After the Falcons loss in Week 2, the Raiders would go on to win three straight, and then after the Chiefs loss in Week 6, the Raiders would go on to win six straight. This is a positive sign knowing this because these last three games are very crucial in hopes to winning the division.

This week the Raiders face the Chargers. This is the unofficial 9th home game for the Raiders nearly every year. Oakland has won the last three games against San Diego and it looks like they will make it four straight. The Chargers are absolutely decimated with injuries and most notably lost Melvin Gordon. There is no excuse the Raiders should drop this game.

The following week, Oakland will take on the Colts. Indianapolis is another team that are just not very good outside of Andrew Luck — who has been playing at a Pro Bowl level. Luck will surely give the Raiders defense fits, but this is another game I see the Raiders closing out due to this being the last regular season home game of the season and by now should have back a healthy Mario Edwards Jr. and speaking cautiously optimistic, Aldon Smith.

Week 17, the Raiders will find themselves at Mile High. This will by far the toughest outing out of these last three games. Both teams in this instance will have something to play for, whether it is Wild Card seeding or winning the division. The Raiders can find themselves winning this game by following the same formula they did the last time these two teams played. The Raiders have also shown that their offense is still very potent in high elevations, which they proved in Week 11 against the Houston Texans in Mexico City.

The Chiefs, on the other hand, might not have the easiest remaining schedule. Their final three opponents are the Titans, Broncos and the Chargers.

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The Titans come in with the 3rd ranked rushing attack led by DeMarco Murray. The Chiefs are ranked as the 27th rush defense. Expect Murray and Derrick Henry to gash the Chiefs front-seven like they did the previous week against the Broncos. This game will clearly not be a brisk walk-in-the-park type of game most would think, considering that the Titans have their own division to play for.

The Chiefs’ next opponent would be the Broncos on Christmas night. This could be another game that could come down to the wire like it did the last time these two teams played back in Week 12. Trevor Siemian appears to have gotten his groove back with back-to-back 300 yard games and the defense will always be stout, apart from the run defense. This should be a game that Raider Nation should have circled on their schedule.

The Chiefs’ final regular season opponent would be on the road against the Chargers. Most could chalk this up as an easy W for the Chiefs. That might not be the case. This could quite possibly be the last game in Qualcomm Stadium for the Chargers as their have been numerous reports that the Chargers could be moving to Los Angeles.

Expect the Chargers to play with a ton of emotion. Teams that are out of the playoff picture always like to play spoiler, and when you have Phillip Rivers on your team, you will always have a shot. This game in particular has ‘Trap Game’ written all over it.

If the Raiders do indeed win out, you can almost book it that they will win the AFC West. You can see the Chiefs losing at least one if not two of these 3 remaining games.

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