The Las Vegas Raiders need to continue to get help in their race to the playoffs this season, and here are three teams to root for in Week 13.
The Las Vegas Raiders were embarrassed by the Atlanta Falcons in Week 12, as a 3-7 team beat a 6-4 Raiders squad for the second straight season. Last year, the Raiders fell off a cliff over the final six games of the season, and the hope is that they can correct their mistakes and actually earn a playoff spot this year.
Week 12 will wrap up on Wednesday afternoon, and the Raiders need the Pittsburgh Steelers to beat the Baltimore Ravens. Looking ahead, here are three teams outside of the Silver and Black that Raider Nation needs to root for in Week 13.
Houston Texans
We kick off our three teams to root for with the Houston Texans, who actually beat the Raiders in the playoffs the last time they made the postseason. On Sunday, the Texans can do the Silver and Black a huge favor by knocking off the Indianapolis Colts, who have a lead over them in the AFC playoff race.
Indianapolis lost a divisional game against Tennessee last week and currently hold the final Wild Card spot. A loss would drop them to 7-5 on the season, and with a matchup against Las Vegas in two weeks, the two teams would have the same record going into that game inside Allegiant Stadium.
Raiders: 3 teams to root for in Week 13 as the playoff race heats up
Cincinnati Bengals
In the biggest longshot of the three teams that need to win for the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday, the Cincinnati Bengals will head to South Beach to take on the Miami Dolphins. Miami was able to take care of business against the New York Jets last weekend, and Cincinnati actually hung tough against the New York Giants, this without star quarterback Joe Burrow.
Sunday, Brandon Allen will look to snap the Bengals’ three-game losing streak against Miami, who rolled with Ryan Fitzpatrick under center against the Jets. This is a tough matchup for Cincinnati, who managed to muster less than 160 yards of offense against the Giants, and will be going up against a Dolphins team that should get rookie quarterback Tua Tagovailoa back.
Like the Colts, the Dolphins still have a game on the road against the Raiders on their schedule, but currently are a game above them in wins, and have one less loss. Them losing before that matchup in a couple of weeks is crucial, and the road is tough ahead for Miami after the Bengals, as they have to face Kansas City and New England before the Raiders game.
Raiders: 3 teams to root for in Week 13 as the playoff race heats up
Tennessee Titans
Finally, we take a look at the AFC South-leading Tennessee Titans, who steamrolled over the Indianapolis Colts last weekend. This weekend, Derrick Henry and company will take on Baker Mayfield and the Cleveland Browns, who currently stand at 8-3, and still have games against the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers left on their schedule.
Las Vegas already has a win in hand against the Browns, which could prove to be huge down the stretch. The Raiders control their own destiny when you look at the schedule, as they have a lighter schedule, and can do their own dirty work with wins against the Colts and the Dolphins.
Of course, the main thing the Raiders need to do this weekend is beat the winless Jets, because if they cannot do that, they do not belong in the playoff discussion. The fan base went down this road last year, seeing a 6-4 start disappear and turn into 7-9, but the Raiders can start moving in the right direction inside MetLife on Sunday.