Looking at the overall picture down the stretch
I want to look at three teams in particular here that are going to help me pick this week’s game, the Raiders, the Chargers, and the Miami Dolphins. First, the Chargers.
If we look at their schedule, I think it’s fair to say it’s thinned out a bit. Atlanta was a bad team and they got the win, the Patriots was a winnable game, but they got blown out, and now they get the Raiders. Next week, they get the Broncos at home, and then they finish at Arrowhead against the Chiefs but also keep in mind the Chiefs may have the No.1 seed locked down already before that game.
It’s not crazy to imagine the Bolts go on a late-season run here and finish 7-9. I know, I know, tanking is king, but at the same time, it’s a team that has a gunslinger rookie as a quarterback, and they’ve played tough all year for the most part.
Personally, I say 6-10 fits them better than 7-9, as I think they’re going to lose that final game to KC, and win their next two to get to 6-10 on the season. No matter what, I think they’re going to win next week against Denver, so at worst they’ll finish 5-11.
Now, the Dolphins.
I think the Dolphins win this week against New England, but then what? If they win one more game, they’re 10-6 on the year, and if they win out, they finish 11-5. The AFC is loaded right now, so wouldn’t a 10-6 or 11-5 Dolphins team kick out the Colts, Browns, or Ravens? I don’t think any of those teams miss the playoffs at this point. They’ve all locked up double-digit seasons in all likelihood unless something crazy happens.
It appears to be the two good teams that will be left out of the AFC playoff picture are the Dolphins and our Raiders.
If the Dolphins win this week, which they should, they go to 9-5. To me, I see it more likely the Raiders win that game than this one against the Chargers, because they match up well with the Fins, being that they’re not an in-your-face high-scoring team that you’re going to need to keep up with. This week’s game is against a rookie quarterback who loves to sling the ball downfield and put up big numbers, something the Raiders don’t necessarily need to go up against right now having just fired their DC.
As for the Raiders, I think they definitely lose Week 17 at the Broncos, but then again, I believe they will do better than they did last year. 9-7 definitely looks plausible, and they can very well win this week, and next at home to bring their home record to 4-4 to finish the year.
However, are they more of a 9-7 team or an 8-8 team at this point? I’m not completely sure. I think they win one of the next two no matter what, whether that be this one against the Bolts or the next one against the Dolphins. That’s subject to change for me depending on what I see out of them this week.