Las Vegas Raiders: How many teams have made playoffs after 7-6 start?
By Nico Di Fede
After starting the season 6-3, the Las Vegas Raiders have gone 1-3 since but are still in the playoff hunt. The team will likely have to win out to get in though.
The Las Vegas Raiders got out to another strong start in 2020, beating the likes of the New Orleans Saints and Kansas City Chiefs early on. However, after getting out to a 6-3 start, the Raiders have won only one game since, and will likely have to win out if they want to make the playoffs.
The schedule is favorable, but as we have seen in recent weeks, you never know what to expect when the Silver and Black take the field. Two of the three remaining opponents are beatable squads in the Los Angeles Chargers, who they face off against on Thursday night and the Denver Broncos in the final regular-season game of the season.
Both are teams the Raiders have already claimed victory against earlier in the season. If they hope to make it a sweep against both teams, they will need a monster effort from quarterback Derek Carr.
Then there is the 8-5 Miami Dolphins, led by rookie quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who on paper should be the toughest outing remaining. The Dolphins have been one of the more surprising teams in the NFL this season, but have looked very beatable as of late as well, so the Raiders really have a chance to win all three.
Below, we look at the chances the Raiders have of sneaking in after being 7-6 through 13 games. Looking back to the 2015 season, there have been teams who have gotten in after starting 7-6, but not as many as you might think.
Here are the results.