AFC West 17 preview and predictions: Oakland Raiders to the playoffs?
By Alex Perl
We have officially hit the final week of the 2019 regular season, and the Oakland Raiders have a chance to clinch a spot in the AFC Playoffs.
The 2019 NFL regular season is coming to a close, and for the Oakland Raiders, they have a chance to beat all the odds in Week 17. The Raiders need the Indianapolis Colts, Baltimore Ravens, and Houston Texans to win in the 1:25pm PT slate, and then take care of business against the Denver Broncos to clinch the final playoff spot in the AFC.
Week 17 is one that all of Raider Nation should be excited for, or in most cases nervous for. In the last week of the season, the Raiders are in unfamiliar territory when thinking of how this decade has gone, and that’s playoff position.
The final Sunday of the regular season is a do or die win for the team, with a 7-8 record and a must win battle at Denver vs the Broncos (6-9). A victory propels the team to the playoffs, with of course a number of outcomes that need to occur, but the point being is that this is a game all of Raider Nation should be tuning into Sunday.
Not to mention this will be the last time the Raiders play as the Oakland Raiders, with the Las Vegas move looming. The Oakland Raiders vs Denver Broncos is for sure the one to watch this week, but also another AFC West finale to catch will be the Los Angeles Chargers (5-10) traveling to Kansas City to face the Chiefs (11-4), and with an earlier kickoff (10 AM PT, 1 PM ET).
That should give plenty of breathing room for Raider Nation to relax and view prior to the big one, and not to mention possibly a familiar foe to study as if the Raiders do make the playoffs, a Chiefs reunion game in the Wild card could be possible.
Now on to the Predictions!