After a blip of hope following a Week 1 win against the New England Patriots, the Las Vegas Raiders came crashing back down to earth in Week 2 against the Los Angeles Chargers. They then dug themselves a hole in Week 3 against the Washington Commanders that they never crawled out of.
Raider Nation is used to monitoring the draft order more than the playoff picture toward the end of each year, but that set in far quicker during the 2025 NFL season. Despite Pete Carroll's relentless optimism and insistence on continuing to compete, there just hasn't been much to cheer for.
It takes a while for teams to get eliminated from playoff contention in the NFL, even if the writing has been on the wall for months. This version of the Raiders is never going to make a playoff push, even if they can still mathematically get in with the remainder of the Week 13 schedule still on the docket.
Raiders can officially be eliminated from playoffs under these 3 circumstances
There is a very real chance, however, that fans will be put out of their misery after Sunday's game against the Chargers. There are three scenarios where the Raiders can be officially eliminated from playoff contention, according to NFL Playoff Scenarios, and two of them feel incredibly likely.
The first would be Las Vegas losing to the Chargers, the Buffalo Bills either beating or tying the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the Jacksonville Jaguars beating or tying the Tennessee Titans. Pittsburgh has been a bit flat lately, and both the Titans and Raiders are a mess, so this is a viable outcome.
Another elimination scenario, which feels slightly less likely, would be the Raiders losing to the Chargers, the Jaguars beating or tying the Titans, and the Houston Texans taking down the Indianapolis Colts. There is a chance that this happens with CJ Stroud back, but the Colts are tough.
Finally, if Las Vegas somehow ties Los Angeles in Week 13, then it would require a win by the Bills over the Steelers and a win by the Jaguars over the Titans. Again, this is the least likely scenario because of the tie, but it is an elimination scenario nonetheless.
RELATED: Raiders reporter adds another new layer to Chip Kelly play-calling fiasco
Long ago, the Raiders were eliminated from contention for both the No. 1 seed and the AFC West crown. Obviously, there is still some statistical chance that Las Vegas can sneak into the playoffs in 2025, but that would require the Raiders running the table and for countless other things to happen.
Plus, it doesn't take an expert to watch this team and realize that they are light-years from being a playoff team. In fact, most of Raider Nation hasn't even thought of the postseason as a possibility since Week 3, and that is being generous.
This season under Pete Carroll has been the most deflating for the fan base in recent memory, in large part because expectations were actually high and warranted. But even this winning coach can't figure things out in Las Vegas.
The Raiders are potentially just four quarters away from officially sealing their fate this season and being mathematically eliminated from something that fans have felt was impossible for months now. Another anticlimactic end to another wasted campaign for the Silver and Black.