The remaining schedule
The Oakland Raiders played an insanely difficult schedule in the first half of the season, being away from home for five weeks straight, and playing against a number of playoff teams. The Raiders have lost four games this season, all to teams that would be in the playoffs if the season ended today.
On the other hand, the Raiders have defeated solid teams, and have been underdogs in just about every game this season. The Raiders schedule the rest of the season is close to the opposite of what it was in the first half, and with the team finally coming together, they could end the season with a great record.
The Raiders defeated the Chargers on Thursday night in a must-win game. The Raiders are 5-4 with their next two games being against the Bengals (0-8) and Jets (1-7). Assuming the Raiders win both of those games, they will sit at 7-4 with a great chance to make the playoffs.
After that, the Raiders play the Chiefs, Titans, Jaguars, Chargers, and Broncos. Assuming these teams continue on the trend they are going, the Raiders should only be underdogs in one of those games. Although it probably won’t happen, the Raiders could easily finish this season 11-5 if all goes the way it should.