The Oakland Raiders defeated the Indianapolis Colts in Week 16 of the 2016/17 NFL season. The loss knocked the Colts out of playoff contention as they fell to 7-8. For the Raiders, the win keeps hopes alive for a No. 1 seed in the AFC, however Oakland lost their starting quarterback Derek Carr in the victory over the Colts.

The Raiders might get top seed still

The Raiders face the Denver Broncos in Week 17.

If Oakland win that game then they will improve to 13-3 on the season. The result would guarantee a division title as well, although they may have that locked up before next week if the KC Chiefs lose on Sunday to Denver. If the Raiders get to 13-3 then they could still rob the New England Patriots of the top seed in the AFC. That would reward Oakland with home-field advantage throughout the conference playoffs.

However, the loss of Derek Carr in the win over the Colts on Saturday changes much. The complexion of their season looks entirely different now as the Colts appear as though they will need to rely on a back-up quarterback from here on out.

Arguably that makes them the team that other teams in the AFC playoffs now want to face. According to a December 24th article at NFL.com Carr is "out indefinitely" with a broken fibula (Chris Wesseling). It will be interesting to see where Oakland fit into the AFC antepost betting odds after Week 16. It's plausible that they may drift out to 6th favorite in the conference due to the loss of their most important player.

Oakland could be a five seed in AFC

It's also possible that Oakland end up as the 5 seed in the AFC playoffs. In order for that to happen, KC would need to beat Denver, Oakland would need to lose to Denver, and then KC would need to beat San Diego. KC host Denver on Christmas Day so the venue gives the Chiefs the edge there.

Denver against Oakland's backup QB might be a win for the Broncos while San Diego are weak competition for KC in Week 17.

A few hours ago it looked like things were getting interesting for Oakland. But the Raiders as a five seed and on the road against a four seed in Wild Card Weekend -- with a backup QB -- could be lights out. A 2 seed or 1 seed may provide a stay of execution with some hope redeemed via home-field advantage.