The Oakland Raiders gained some momentum in the NFL league without snapping the ball in week 10. The Silver and Black were on a Bye Week this weekend, as teams that were a threat in the AFC West lost. The stars were aligned perfectly for The Raiders as they saw their divisional rivals lose important games.
The two teams that needed to lose in order for the Raiders to stay alive for the playoffs were the Los Angeles Chargers and the Denver Broncos. The Chargers took a tough loss against the Tennessee Titans, with a score of 20-17, this past weekend, while the Broncos simply got killed by the New England Patriots, 41-16.
Both losses favored the Silver and Black heavily as it insured a steady second place in the AFC West. The two losses put the Raiders a game back for a wild card spot as well. All this while taking a week off. Also, the Raiders are a bit lucky to be in that second place in their division, since they have not been playing well at all in the last five or six games.
What about the Kansas City Chiefs?
Well, the Chiefs hold the lead in the AFC West. As for week 10 of the NFL schedule, the Chiefs were off just like the Raiders. Kansas City is also two games ahead of the Oakland Raiders in their division. However, the Chiefs now look like a very beatable team.
Despite starting super strong, the Chief managed to lose a few important games along the way.
In fact, the Chiefs suffered two losses in a row, one against the Pittsburgh Steelers and the other against the Raiders in week 6 and 7. Additionally, the Chiefs took a bad loss against the Dallas Cowboys in week 9, with a score of 28-17, right before the break.
The three losses have made the Chiefs look like a very beatable team since they were number one for about the first five weeks of the NFL season.
Now, the Raiders will have to come out strong the second half of the season. The first game is against the Patriots in Mexico, so that it will be a tough start for the Silver and Black.
How the AFC West Looks
The Chiefs are still on top with a record of 6-3, while the Raiders follow two games behind with four wins and five losses.
The Chargers take third with a record of 3-6, while the Broncos, who were expected to do better, are in last with the same record. The Broncos are suffering the worst in this division because they have lost five straight.
In the end, the Oakland Raiders are sitting somewhat pretty in this tough division even after not playing well. The slump for the Raiders came in week 3 when they lost to the Washington Redskins. Ever since that game the Raiders have struggled but looked like a decent team when they defeated the Miami Dolphins right before the bye week. So, the Raiders will have a tough start for the second half. Still, they do have the talent to keep moving forward.