Las Vegas Raiders can and will make the playoffs in 2021

The Las Vegas Raiders ended a tough three-game losing streak against Dallas, and here is why that will springboard them to the playoffs in 2021.

The Las Vegas Raiders are right in the thick of the AFC playoff race as they search for just their second playoff appearance since a 2002 Super Bowl appearance, nearly twenty years ago. The Raiders have had one of the most up-and-down seasons of any team in recent memory, complete with an abundance of off-the-field issues.

While the focus of the Raiders’ season has been the major stories surrounding the likes of Jon Gruden and Henry Ruggs III, the roller coaster has not been exclusively off-the-field. The Raiders began the season on a three-game win streak, dropped two in a row, rebounded with another two-game win streak, and then lost another three straight games before defeating the Cowboys on Thanksgiving.

The play on the field for Las Vegas this season has been about as consistent as the locker room morale.

After a huge road win over the NFC East-leading Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving Day, the Raiders have a real chance to make a run at the playoffs. The Silver and Black sit at 6-5 and have the eighth seed in the AFC.

The top seven reach the postseason.

The late-season push will have to begin this coming Sunday for the Raiders, as they welcome the Washington Football Team to Allegiant Stadium, and reaching the postseason for the second time in almost two decades will be no easy feat. Washington is the last team on the Raiders’ schedule that currently has a losing record.

After Washington, the Raiders will play each division rival one more time in the Chiefs, Broncos, and Chargers, as well as the formidable Colts and Browns. If the Raiders can make the tournament, there is no question that they will deserve it.

As Raiders’ fans take another wait-and-see approach heading into December, here are three reasons that this season will finally be different and Las Vegas will make the playoffs.