Raiders at Colts 2023 Week 17: Bold predictions

The Las Vegas Raiders have shocked the NFL landscape across the last two weeks, thumping the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 15 by the score of 63-21, before going into Kansas City and beating the Chiefs on Christmas Day. Suddenly, the Raiders look like a legitimate playoff contender and have rallied around interim head coach Antonio Pierce.

In Week 17, they will look to keep their slim playoff hopes alive against the Indianapolis Colts, another team looking to stay alive in the AFC Playoff race. This has the potential to be an instant classic inside Lucas Oil Stadium, as the Raiders hope to ring in the New Year with their playoff hopes still in tact.

Here, we look at three bold predictions for the Silver and Black in Week 17.

Raiders at Colts 2023 Week 17: Bold predictions

1. Zamir White once again goes over 100 yards on the ground

It was a breakout game for Zamir White in Week 16, as Josh Jacobs missed his second game in a row dealing with a quad injury. White rushed for nearly 150 yards in the contest, and it was his running on the final drive that put the Chiefs away for good.

Last week, the Colts struggled in a big way against Bijan Robinson and the Falcons rushing attack, so White could run wild again on Sunday. If he runs the ball the way he did against the Chiefs, the Raiders could be looking at another legitimate RB1 on the roster heading down the stretch.

2. Raiders defense finds the end zone for the third straight game

It has been quite the two-week span for the Raiders defense, as they have found the end zone twice against both the Chargers and the Chiefs. The defense has been a top-10 unit for quite some time now, and against Gardner Minshew and company on Sunday, I believe they could find the end zone once more.

Minshew is prone to mistakes, and the Raiders defensive backfield has been opportunistic this season, especially lately. The Raiders pass rush should be able to get to Minshew early and often on Sunday, and that could lead to some costly mistakes down the field.

3. Raiders keep their slim playoff hopes alive

Could the Raiders really do it? Starting out at 5-8 after the embarrassing loss to Minnesota in Week 14, Las Vegas is building momentum down the stretch of the regular season. After back-to-back wins against AFC West opponents, the Raiders will look to get back to .500 for the first time since Week 10.

The Raiders have the talent to win this game, and they are likely playing for head coach Antonio Pierce's job down the stretch. Las Vegas has rallied around Pierce, and it appears the team wants him to retain the job this offseason, so another victory as a road underdog could be incoming for the Silver and Black.