What are the Raiders playoff chances after beating the Browns?
By Brad Weiss
The Las Vegas Raiders have an easier schedule moving forward, but what are their current chances of making the playoffs entering Week 9?
Sitting at 4-3, the Las Vegas Raiders have to be happy with how the season has gone so far. Playing one of the toughest schedules in football, the Raiders have weathered the storm, gone East three times and won, and showed they can compete against elite teams like Kansas City and New Orleans.
All of this has led to them having a legitimate shot at the playoffs this season, but there is still a lot of work to be done. The Raiders play against all AFC West foes over the next three weeks, starting on the road against Los Angeles, and then welcoming the Denver Broncos and the Chiefs to town.
From there, they have games against Atlanta and the New York Jets, two of the worst teams in football this season. Are the playoffs on the horizon? Only time will tell, but they have put themselves in position to make it a reality.
What are the Raiders current odds?
FiveThirtyEight recently released their current odds for all NFL teams in terms of making the playoffs, and for Las Vegas, they actually are now above 50 percent. In fact, the website has the Raiders at a 52 percent chance of reaching the playoffs for only the second time since the 2002 NFL season, and they also have a six percent chance of winning the AFC West.
In contrast, Football Insider’s recent percentages put the Raiders at only 38.8 percent to make the playoffs, although it was a major jump from last week. The Raiders 9.1 percent increase was the fifth-biggest jump among all 32 NFL teams, and they will now face one of the easier remaining schedules in the league.
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Derek Carr is playing at a very high level right now, and running back Josh Jacobs proved that he could carry the load this past weekend against Cleveland, even in inclement weather. With the team getting healthier, they have a real chance to make the playoffs, and that would be some accomplishment in their first season in the desert.