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Forget the scenarios, the Las Vegas Raiders need to Just Win Baby

By Brad Weiss

Los Angeles Raiders managing general partner Al Davis encourages his team before their 38-9 win over the Washington Redskins in Super Bowl XVIII on January 22, 1984 at Tampa Stadium. (Photo by Sylvia Allen/Getty Images)
Los Angeles Raiders managing general partner Al Davis encourages his team before their 38-9 win over the Washington Redskins in Super Bowl XVIII on January 22, 1984 at Tampa Stadium. (Photo by Sylvia Allen/Getty Images) /
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The Las Vegas Raiders have to get a lot of help to make the playoffs in 2020, but one thing they can control is winning the games ahead of them.

For Derek Carr and the Las Vegas Raiders, the task is simple, take care of what they can take care of and let the chips fall where they may. The Raiders find themselves in this predicament by blowing a 6-3 start to the season, losing to the Kansas City Chiefs and Atlanta Falcons to fall to 6-5, barely beating the New York Jets, and then getting thumped at home by the Indianapolis Colts rushing attack.

So here we are, sitting at 7-6, with slim playoff chances and the realization of another year watching other AFC teams battle for a spot in the Super Bowl. In what was supposed to be a fast start to the Las Vegas Era, the Raiders are fading fast for the second year in a row, but can right the ship with a win on Thursday night.

A win is not going to suddenly improve their playoff chances dramatically, but it also will prevent the team from being dead in the water moving towards the final two games.

Three winnable games to close the regular season

Based on the schedule, the Raiders appear to have three winnable games ahead of them to close out the season, hosting the Los Angeles Chargers and Miami Dolphins before going on the road to play Denver. Las Vegas cannot afford a single loss in those three games, and while they do need help, in the words of the late great Al Davis, they need to “Just Win Baby.”

Winning will enable the Raiders to do their part in this playoff race, as they can get to ten wins, and they do hold a few tiebreakers if things fall their way.

Next. Las Vegas Raiders X-Factors against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 15. dark

For now, the sole focus has to be on Justin Herbert and the Los Angeles Chargers, who would like nothing more in a pointless season than to eliminate the Raiders from realistic playoff contention. Las Vegas has a bunch of guys out in this one, including four starters on defense, so Carr and the offense need to play their best football on Thursday night.

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