Oakland Raiders: 5 questions to think about during the bye

While the NFC has at least three teams we can certainly cross off in the New York Giants (1-7), the San Francisco 49ers (0-9) and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-6), only one team in the AFC has no shot at the making the playoffs. That would be the winless Cleveland Browns (0-8).

Even the Indianapolis Colts kept their slim playoff hopes alive with a win over the rival Houston Texans at NRG Stadium in Week 9 to improve to 3-6 on the year. With as many as 15 teams competing for six spots in the AFC playoff picture, maybe that number will shrink before the Raiders play the New England Patriots in Mexico City in two weeks?

13 teams in the AFC will play this weekend. As many as five of them could be in some way crossed off before the Raiders return to the gridiron in Week 11. The one team that has to win to avoid almost certain elimination would be the Colts. Falling to 3-7 with a home loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers is sayonara to Indianapolis’ fleeting playoff hopes.

Houston would be out of it with a loss to the Los Angeles Rams at 3-6. Not having Deshaun Watson at quarterback is awful for them. The Cincinnati Bengals would be 3-6 with a loss to the Tennessee Titans. A loss this weekend probably knocks them off, too.

Then there’s the two AFC West rivals of the Raiders in the Denver Broncos and the Los Angeles Chargers. A road loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars might knock the Chargers out of it at 3-6. Should the Broncos get clobbered by the Patriots on Sunday Night Football to fall to 3-6, it’s over for Denver, period.