Oakland Raiders Schedule 2017: Playoffs Possible With AFC West Games Remaining

Despite a disappointing 4-6 record and their standing as the AFC’s No.13 seed at the start of Week 12, the Oakland Raiders are far from being out of playoff contention. The team is just one game behind the Baltimore Ravens for the conference’s final wild-card spot.

Oakland is tied with the Los Angeles Chargers for second-place in the AFC West, two games behind the first-place Kansas City Chiefs. The Raiders have one game against each divisional rival left on the remainder of their 2017 schedule.

It’s hard to believe that Oakland was once considered to be among the biggest threats to the New England Patriots. The Raiders sure looked like a real Super Bowl contender with wins over the Tennessee Titans and New York Jets to start the season. Things have since gone downhill with six losses in eight games.

The Raiders haven’t looked like a playoff team over the last two months, and they have to jump ahead of six teams in the standings to reach the postseason. Mathematically, however, Oakland is very much alive in the race for the 2018 playoffs.

Baltimore and the Buffalo Bills, both of whom have beaten the Raiders, are tied with a 5-5 record. Oakland is one of six teams that share a 4-6 record, and the Raiders have wins against two of those teams.

The Raiders are expected to find their way back to .500 relatively quickly. They are significant favorites in their Week 12 home game against the Denver Broncos. Oakland will be favored at home against the New York Giants in Week 13.

Winning in Kansas City in Week 14 won’t be easy, though the Raiders did beat the Chiefs earlier this season. Kansas City is playing their worst football of 2017 with four losses in their last five games.

There’s a good chance that Oakland will be favored in Week 15 when they host the Dallas Cowboys. They’ll return to being heavy underdogs in Week 16 when they visit the Philadelphia Eagles, who head into Thanksgiving with the NFL’s best record.

If the Raiders and Chargers play well in December, their Week 17 matchup in L.A. could determine a playoff berth. The Chargers won 17-16 in Oakland earlier this season.

It once looked like the AFC West might be the NFL’s best division. That clearly is no longer the case. The last-place Denver Broncos are one of three AFC teams that have fewer than four wins. Kansas City has the worst record of any division leader, and the AFC West is the only division with just one team that’s over .500 in Week 12.

Remaining 2017 Schedule

Week 12: Sunday, Nov. 26 vs. Denver Broncos (4:25 p.m. EST)

Week 13: Sunday, Dec. 3 vs. New York Giants (4:25 p.m. EST)

Week 14: Sunday, Dec. 10 at Kansas City Chiefs (1 p.m. EST)

Week 15: Sunday, Dec. 17 vs. Dallas Cowboys (8:30 p.m. EST)

Week 16: Monday, Dec. 25 at Philadelphia Eagles (8:30 p.m. EST)

Week 17: Sunday, Dec. 31 at Los Angeles Chargers (4:25 p.m. EST)