Can the Raiders still make the playoffs? Yes, but they’ll need a lot of help

The Los Angeles Chargers’ win Monday night made any playoff hopes for the Raiders slimmer than they were before the Christmas weekend started.

Technically, the Silver and Black still have a chance to make the postseason, but they’ll need a lot of help.

First, the good news. The team’s final two games are both at home. The bad news? The Raiders’ final two games are no walk in the park. This week, the 11-4 San Francisco 49ers travel to Las Vegas. If they survive that game, then they welcome the 12-3 Kansas City Chiefs in Week 18.

Let’s focus on Week 17 first because if the Raiders, lose, then Week 18 doesn’t even matter. But if they win, they’ll also need a lot of other teams to lose.

When the Miami Dolphins lost on Christmas day, that helped Vegas stay alive in the playoff hunt. The Dolphins will need to lose their remaining two games — Week 17 against the Patriots and Week 18 against the Jets — for Las Vegas to have a chance.

The Dolphins are the only team the Raiders need to lose out. However, they also need one loss from the New York Jets, New England Patriots, Tennessee Titans and Pittsburgh Steelers.

Wk 17 AFC Elimination Scenarios (no ties):

NE OUT:
1) NE L

NYJ OUT:
1) NYJ L

PIT OUT:
1) PIT L
2) MIA W

LV OUT:
1) LV L
2) MIA W
3) NYJ W pic.twitter.com/UPGogFSHfo

— Joe Ferreira (@JoeNFL) December 27, 2022

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