The AFC West has a thrilling conclusion to their regular season, with the San Diego Chargers (7-8) head onto the road to take on the Oakland Raiders (8-7). If the Raiders can beat the Chargers, they put themselves in a great spot to win the AFC West division, or make the playoffs as a wild card team. However, for the Chargers, this game is all about finishing a season with pride. They have won three of their last four games, but it just will not be enough to make the postseason. Where: Oakland-Alameda Count Coliseum, Oakland, CA When: Sunday, Jan. ...
The Good NewsFinally there is some good news for Raider Nation. After a season filled with injuries, the Raiders are expected to have the majority of their weapons on the field Sunday in a must-win game against the San Diego Chargers, barring any setbacks.The big news coming out of Oakland is that Jacoby Ford is on the practice field today, for Wednesday's practice. According to the Steve Corkran of the Oakland Tribune, "Ford is running routes, catching passes and doing everything else asked of the wide receivers." Ford has been out for six games since he injured his foot against San ...
Currently the Oakland Raiders sit with an 8-7 record, are second in the AFC West behind the Denver Broncos (also 8-7), and are No. 7 in the AFC's playoff standings.Ahead of the Raiders in the race for that No. 6 seed are the 9-6 Cincinnati Bengals.This week the Bengals host the Baltimore Ravens in a meaningful game, since Pittsburgh can still take the AFC North from the Ravens. Cincinnati may have that one game lead on Oakland, however, both are tied with a 3-2 record in common games as well as a 6-5 record in the AFC.That being said, here's ...
A great football coach is one that puts his players in position to make plays by allowing them to do what they do best. Hue Jackson came to Raider Nation last year as an offensive coordinator and was promoted to head coach for his vast improvement of the offense.He was able to make such an improvement in the offense by putting its best player, running back Darren McFadden, in position to make plays. A few changes in the Raiders offensive playbook and an extremely talented player goes from bust-watch to superstar-watch.There are a lot of extremely talented Raiders on defense, but they remain ...
Those of you who read my articles know that I am a Minnesota Vikings fan. A fan who obviously does not want to see the team relocate to Los Angeles—or elsewhere, for that matter.However, this does not mean I think Los Angeles doesn’t deserve another chance at an NFL franchise. While I ultimately think it will fail long-term—because of the vast number of other cultural things that the city offers—any team moving there initially will be met with a crazed embrace. The city is 46 percent Latino, a population that heavily supports soccer. This was not the case, though, in ...
The Oakland Raiders still have a chance to win the AFC West in Week 17 as long as they take care of business against the San Diego Chargers and get a little bit of help. If the Raiders beat the Chargers, the 8-7 Denver Broncos would either have to lose to or tie the Kansas City Chiefs for Oakland to take the title. If the Raiders happen to tie the Chargers, the Broncos would then have to lose to the Chiefs for Oakland to secure the title.So for the 8-7 Raiders, the first thing they need to do is to ...
To reach the postseason, the 8-7 Oakland Raiders will need some help.The Raiders must first beat or tie the San Diego Chargers in Week 17 to have any chance of advancing to the postseason. That won't be an easy task, as San Diego has won three of their last four games, and except for getting smoked by the Detroit Lions 38-10 in Week 16, the Chargers have been playing as well as anyone over the past month.The Raiders have the chance to get in as both a wild card or the AFC West champion. They can win the West two ...
Nobody said the journey to the playoffs would be easy. And the Oakland Raiders' sail through the high seas of the NFL is proof of how rocky the waters are to the postseason. Of course, aboard their vessel of tortured pirates, the Raiders have a tendency to embellish those hardships. Last weekend's battle against the Kansas City Chiefs was the latest example.Either through heavenly divinity or through evil ridiculousness, Oakland found a way to win last Saturday's contest at Arrowhead Stadium, pulling out on top 16-13 in overtime. Despite a boatload of penalties, two turnovers, a substandard performance on offense an ...
The race for the final two AFC playoff berths is a bit of a cluttered mess heading into the final week of the season, with the Raiders and Denver Broncos still alive for the AFC West Division title (and Oakland still alive for a Wild Card berth) and the respective fanbases of each team preparing for a crazy Sunday, which will clear up all the uncertainty.The Raiders will need a win against the San Diego Chargers in Oakland, and a loss or tie by the Broncos at home vs. Kansas City, to win the AFC West. If the Broncos ...
The Oakland Raiders haven't seen star running back Darren McFadden out on the field since Oct. 23. It is therefore something of a wonder that they are still very much in the playoff hunt.The actual diagnosis is a little iffy (see the San Francisco Chronicle), but it suffices to say that McFadden is dealing with a foot injury that has kept him out of action for much longer than the Raiders would have liked. They are hoping he can return in Week 17 against the San Diego Chargers, and that he will be able to play in the playoffs if ...