Today the Raiders took another big step towards realizing their goals as a team. Now this was far from a thing of beauty. I’ve seen hung-over frat houses that look better than the football played today by the Bears and Raiders.  In the end the scoreboard was as sexy as Salma Hayek in the nude pouring a celebratory drink.

Oakland out lasted Chicago in a 25-20 win that was as much about grit as it was execution.

As usual the Raiders found a way to keep things interesting late.

Early on it looked like Caleb Hanie was out of his element. Three first half picks pushed the Bears to the limit yet the Raiders couldn’t capitalize in the form of touchdowns. Thanks to a stout Chicago run defense Sebastian Janikowski became the Raiders’ scoring punch.

Sebass set a franchise record as he connected on six field goals. In keeping with the theme of the game most of Jano’s kicks were composed of equal parts doubt and relief. His attempts twisted, twirled and curved before finding their way to three points on the scoreboard.

But what is true in fantasy football holds equal weight in the world of real football. Points are points.

Oakland needed every one of Sebastian’s kicks. For the most of the first half the game was controlled by the men in the trenches. Chicago terrorized Carson Palmer while Oakland harassed Hanie.

Yet where we saw the Raiders become a playoff team was in the adjustments made during halftime.
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As it stands the safest best there is in the AFC West is the Oakland Raiders.

Don’t take my word for it though, let the math geeks tell you that the Silver and Black have a 60% shot at winning the division and giving the East Bay a long overdue playoff date.

Let’s not get too carried away.

Yes, the Raiders control their own destiny. Yes, the rest of the teams in the division have more questions than Bob Costas does for Joe Paterno. No, the Raiders cannot afford any of that to factor into their upcoming contests.

Jay Cutler’s broken thumb has only opened up the opportunity for a potential soul crushing loss. Hue Jackson had better not be taking Caleb Haine lightly. These are the games that cost teams their dreams.

That blown lead in Buffalo looms large as do those two TD tosses Tebow connected on just a few weeks ago.

The Raiders cannot afford another penalty party as they did in Minnesota. It speaks volumes on how well Coach Jackson has his team mentality prepared when you see them overcome all these mistakes.

All that being said the time has come to flip the playoff switch.
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After the Chargers went belly-up in Windy City yesterday the biggest news wasn’t another Philip Rivers meltdown. Turns out Jay Cutler suffered a broken thumb that looks likely to keep him out of action for the rest of the regular season.

Cutler injured his thumb while trying to tackle Antoine Cason after throwing a Rivers (INT) in the fourth quarter. While Cutler did finish the game a lot of the speculation on how long he will be out revolves around whether or not he’ll need surgery on his throwing hand. Bears’ coach Lovie Smith has confirmed the injury but has yet to set a timetable for Cutler to return.

All this means is the Raiders will most likely be game planning for Caleb Haine instead of Jay Cutler.

Now this does not guarantee a win by any means when Chicago rolls into the East Bay next week. Oakland will still have to deal with the dynamic Devin Hester and do-everything-runner Matt Forte.

Still, this news gives the Raiders an advantage as Cutler is relied upon to make plays for a Bears team that is really in a groove. So if you bump into a Charger on the streets be sure to thank them for helping to contribute to Oakland’s playoff push.