Playoffs are now a long shot for the Raiders. Here is what Jon Gruden still hopes to see
It seemed the Las Vegas Raiders were primed for a playoff berth.
The Raiders met the Chiefs in a prime-time game Nov. 22, with Las Vegas sitting at 6-3 and hoping for a strong finish that would secure the team a coveted “x” in the standings, signifying they had clinched a playoff berth.
But a tough loss to the Chiefs led to a tumble and they now have lost 4 of 5 to drop to 7-7 after a 30-27 overtime loss Thursday to the Los Angeles Chargers.
The Raiders are mathematically alive for the playoffs, but will need plenty of help.
“Anybody that doesn’t think we’re still in this is mistaken,” Raiders coach Jon Gruden said Friday. “We need some things to go our way. It would help if some of these officiating calls would go our way too, but we got to keep playing.
“We got to find a way to win our eighth game. If we can win our eighth game and get a little help around the league, we can stay in until the final week of the season like we were last year. But we just got to keep true to ourselves, stay with the process, and good things will happen.”
The Raiders sit in the ninth spot, two spots behind the seventh-seeded Miami Dolphins. Seven teams in both the AFC and NFC will make the NFL postseason field.
Las Vegas will host the Dolphins (8-5) in Week 16 at 5:15 p.m. PST Saturday.
What’s gone wrong?
The Raiders were rolling leading into the game against AFC West rival Kansas City.
Las Vegas had all the momentum, eyeing a season sweep of the defending Super Bowl champions.
Then came a huge hit for the Raiders: Defensive end Clelin Ferrell was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list.
But even without Ferrell, the Raiders played well against the Chiefs, particularly the Derek Carr-led offense.
It took a late touchdown pass by Patrick Mahomes, to a wide-open Travis Kelce, for the Chiefs to pull out a 35-31 win.
The Raiders seemingly have never recovered.
Las Vegas was pummeled by the Atlanta Falcons 43-6 in a game featuring a bunch of miscues on offense and defense.
The Raiders committed four turnovers and had 11 penalties for 141 yards, including a roughing the kicker call that helped lead to a Falcons touchdown.
Las Vegas beat the winless New York Jets 31-28, thanks to a questionable blitz call by now former Jets defensive coordinator Gregg Williams.
And to date, that was the last win for the Raiders.
The Raiders’ defense disappeared against the Indianapolis Colts and Los Angeles Chargers, giving up a combined 858 yards and 67 points.
What can be salvaged?
At this point, the Raiders should simply focus on winning their final two games, securing a winning record and hope for the best.
A 9-7 finish is not out of the question, but Carr’s availability against Miami on Saturday is in question after he left the Chargers game because of a groin injury.
Backup quarterback Marcus Mariota played well in Carr’s absence, tossing a touchdown pass and running for a score.
Carr always has been known for playing through injuries, even serious ones. He did just that two seasons ago when he played with a broken back.
But even before the injury to their quarterback, the Raiders were already depleted.
Injuries and exposure to COVID-19 have cost them players throughout the year.
The coach holds out hope, for this season and beyond.
“Love this team,” Gruden said. “And we’re building our squad, and unfortunately some of our first-and second-year players, guys that we’re really counting on haven’t been available a lot.
“We’re going to continue to fight, continue to develop and continue to work hard and try and get our eighth victory and see if somehow we can get a winning season, which would be a great accomplishment.”
This story was originally published December 20, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
