Week 10 gives Oakland Raiders playoff hopes a big boost

With less than half the season to go, the Oakland Raiders are at the forefront of the AFC Playoff picture. Due to their own success and a few key teams wavering in big moments, Week 10 was perfect for the Raiders.

Thursday night, the Oakland Raiders separated themselves from the Los Angeles Chargers with a 26-24 victory. Not only did the win virtually remove a hated rival from the postseason discussion, but it also drastically improved the Raiders playoff odds.

Heading into the weekend, the Silver and Black were a game behind the Kansas City Chiefs for the AFC West lead and half a game behind the Indianapolis Colts for a Wild Card spot.

In a shocking turn of events, Kansas City fell to the Tennessee Titans which puts the Silver and Black a half-game out for the division lead. Especially with Patrick Mahomes returning to action, no one saw this coming and the Raiders are the beneficiaries.

The upset makes next month’s trip to Kansas City even more important because the AFC West crown will be on the line.

A few weeks ago, Oakland’s chances at winning their first division title since 2002 looked pretty bleak. Now, the team controls its own destiny, and the opportunity to deliver a home playoff game before departing for Las Vegas is certainly on the table.

Also working in the Raiders favor is the fact that the Cleveland Browns managed to edge out the Buffalo Bills, 19-16. Heading into the game, Buffalo held the fifth AFC playoff spot and led Oakland by a game and a half, but that lead shrunk to a single game with the loss.

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After starting the season 3-0, the Bills have dropped three of their last six games, suggesting the team is on the decline. The Wild Card leader also has playoff the following playoff contenders remaining on the schedule: Dallas Cowboys, Baltimore Ravens, and New England Patriots.

Week 10 may only be the start of Oakland’s race against Buffalo.

The Miami Dolphins, of all the teams in the league, put together a huge victory by taking down the Indianapolis Colts 16-12 on Sunday. With the head-to-head win, the Raiders own the tiebreaker over the Colts and the two teams have the same record.

Thus, the Silver and Black held the No. 6 seed in the AFC Playoffs with the Dolphins victory.

Oakland would lose that No. 6 spot with the Pittsburgh Steelers knocking off the Los Angeles Rams, but the Sunday as a whole was a monster boost to the Raiders playoff chances. Oakland has the Cincinnati Bengals at home in Week 11, and then the New York Jets on the road, giving them a real chance of heading into that matchup with the Chiefs in a few weeks sitting at 7-4.

But as we saw Sunday, anything can happen, so this young Raiders team needs to take it one game at a time.