No matter who wins the Thursday night matchup between the Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts, the Oakland Raiders vault back into a playoff spot.
The Oakland Raiders are currently one spot out of the playoffs, as they are sitting behind the Houston Texans for the final Wild Card spot. After Thursday Night Football, the Raiders will regain that final playoff spot, regardless of the outcome.
The Raiders are currently sitting at 6-4, tied with other AFC teams such as the Indianapolis Colts and Houston Texans. The Colts currently lead the AFC South, with the Texans right behind them due to a tie-breaker. Those two teams will battle it out on Thursday Night Football in Week 12.
The Colts won the first matchup between the two, and in previous matchups have done a great job of slowing down Deshaun Watson. Both teams have been up and down this season, but the Colts are coming off a dominant win, while the Texans are coming off a blowout loss.
The Raiders have played both of these teams, defeating the Indianapolis Colts, and falling to the Houston Texans. The Raiders would get the playoff spot over the Colts due to criteria, but not the Texans; therefore, Raiders fans should be rooting for the Texans to win the AFC South in case there is a tie in records.
With that being said, the Raiders will regain that playoff spot Thursday, regardless of the outcome. One of these teams is going to fall to 6-5, knocking them out of their playoff spot, and sliding the Raiders into the Wild Card spot.
This is an incredibly important week for the Raiders all around, as they play a very winnable game against the New York Jets on the road this Sunday. A win against the 3-7 Jets would push the Raiders to 7-4, putting them a full game ahead of whatever AFC South team loses on Thursday, and matching the Kansas City Chiefs record heading into Week 13, where the two teams will faceoff.
The Raiders could put themselves in a great position this week, and it starts with the Thursday Night game between the Indianapolis Colts and Houston Texans. All eyes will be on that game, and if the Texans win, the Raiders are in an even better position, because if Houston wins the division and the Raiders are battling with the Colts for the Wild Card, Oakland holds the tiebreaker.
Buckle up Raider Nation, it is going to be one heck of a ten-day stretch.