Las Vegas Raiders: How many teams have made playoffs after 7-6 start?
By Nico Di Fede
Las Vegas Raiders: How many teams have made playoffs after 7-6 start?
Looking Back
2019
No teams in 2019 got into the playoffs after starting 7-6, but the Philadelphia Eagles did get in after starting even worse at 6-7 through Week 14. They would go on to lose in the NFC Wild Card game against the Seattle Seahawks.
2018
During the 2018 season, three teams got into the playoffs after starting 7-6 or worse, and that is the most teams that have gotten in after that start in the past five seasons. Like the previous year, the Philadelphia Eagles started 6-7 and got a Wild Card bid, but this time won. They would lose in the Divisional Round against the New Orleans Saints.
The Indianapolis Colts started 7-6, won in the Wild Card round, and then lost in the Divisional Round game against the Kansas City Chiefs. The Baltimore Ravens also started 7-6 in 2018 but failed to advance past the Wild Card round.
2017
The Kansas City Chiefs and the Buffalo Bills both went 7-6 through Week 14 during the 2017 seasons, and both lost in their respective Wild Card bouts.
2016
Now looking back at the Raiders’ best season in a decade, the Houston Texans got in after a 7-6 start. They would of course face off against the then-Oakland Raiders, who were without quarterback Derek Carr, and win 27-14. They would lose against the eventual Super Bowl winners in the New England Patriots.
In the NFC the Green Bay Packers would make it all the way to the Conference Championship Game after a 7-6 start. This is the farthest a team has gotten after a 7-6 or worse start since the 2015 campaign.
2015
Now the last season in question, 2015, had two teams make the playoffs after 6-7 starts. The Washington Redskins and Houston Texans would both go on to fall in the Wild Card rounds.