Do the Oakland Raiders have what it takes to make a playoff push?

The Oakland Raiders have won two out of their last three games. They are going to have to start winning consecutive games to have any shot at the playoffs.

It wasn’t perfect nor pretty, but the Oakland Raiders got the win in Miami Gardens over the Dolphins on Sunday night 27-24. A loss to the Dolphins would’ve made it nearly impossible for them to make a run for the AFC playoffs.

The Raiders are now heading into their bye week with a 4-5 record and are only two games back of the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC West. Their bye week comes at a crucial time where the Raiders have to regroup a bit. The rest and extra time is certainly needed because they are going to have to string a few or more wins together if they want to stay alive for the playoffs.

The margin for error now is considerably slim. I’m talking about a hairline of room for error. With that said, I don’t believe this team can make a push for the playoffs. The Raiders are going to have to win ideally six games the rest of the way. Finishing the season 10-6 typically will put you in the playoffs, but at 9-7, you are going to need some help. The way this season has gone, there is no way the Raiders only drop one more game or two coming out of the Week 10 bye.

They are going to be tested right out of the gate with a looming match up against the New England Patriots in Mexico City. How I see it, if they lose that game they are out. But if they win, that will be a huge message being sent out to the rest of the AFC.

That hypothetical win will get me to believe that this team actually has what it takes to run the table. As it stands, this team doesn’t have it. I don’t have faith in anyone on the Raiders’ coaching staff. More notably the two coordinators and the head coach.

#Raiders opponents completing 71.2% of passes this season. Only teams worse for season: 16 Det 72.7%; 11 Ind 71.2%
— Josh Dubow (@JoshDubowAP) November 6, 2017

Despite the offense scoring 27 points on the Dolphins, I still can’t put my trust in offensive coordinator Todd Downing. Not yet anyways. Downing at least can get better because he is still learning.

I don’t have any hope for defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr., whose defense made Jay Cutler look like Dan Marino. It’s nothing new about Norton at this point. The Dolphins traded away their best offensive player in running back Jay Ajayi to the Philadelphia Eagles.

More from Just Blog Baby

Miami almost doubled their season average in points against the Raiders. Aside from strong safety Karl Joseph, defensive Khalil Mack, and inside linebacker NaVorro Bowman, this defense doesn’t have anyone else that stands out.

To be a solid defense in the NFL you must have good corners. Well, the only good corner the Raiders have is a rookie in Gareon Conley. He is most likely going to go on Injured Reserve here very soon. He probably would’ve gotten this team its first interception by now.

That being said, this defense had been exceeding expectations through the first half of the season a bit. Now it is starting to unwind. I wouldn’t be shocked if we saw a role reversal coming out of the bye. The offense starts exceeding our expectations by returning to normal and the defense continues the atrocity from last season.

Next: 5 takeaways from Raiders' win over Dolphins

Of course, anything can still happen. The Raiders could go nuts and go on a five-game winning streak. Or they will likely still be themselves and drop at least a few more games. For now, rest is the best option for them. They are going to need it when they come out of the bye to take on the defending Super Bowl champions down in Mexico City.

Home/Las Vegas Raiders News