Las Vegas Raiders 2023 Thanksgiving: What Raider Nation should be thankful for

Raiders still alive in a wide open AFC

Another thing that Raider Nation should be thankful for this Thanksgiving is the fact that the AFC is wide open in terms of divisions, and wild card spots. We have seen front-runners like the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals fall on hard times in recent weeks, while the Kansas City Chiefs look very beatable as well.

Looking at the AFC as a whole, there is no doubt that teams are going to beat up on each other the rest of the way, and it may take only nine wins to clinch a playoff spot. That means the Raiders need to start beating the teams that could finish with the same record as them, and they have some opportunity to do just that in the second half.

The first half has been a gauntlet for the Raiders, but after the bye week, there are some winnable games ahead. Denver has been better but they are not elite by any means, Minnesota is hoping the Joshua Dobbs experiment continues to be a head-turner, and the Indianapolis Colts should be an easy W for the Silver and Black.

There is also three more games against AFC West opponents after the break, so let us be thankful that at 5-6, the Raiders are still very much alive in the race for playoff spots.