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Football

Playoff picture: What the Las Vegas Raiders need to reach the 2023 NFL playoffs

Tayyib Abu
Playoff picture: What the Las Vegas Raiders need to reach the 2023 NFL playoffsJeff Bottari/Getty Images
Can interim head coach Antonio Pierce lead the Raiders to the playoffs?

Two consecutive wins have vaulted the Las Vegas Raiders into the playoff race. The Raiders won on Christmas Day at Kansas City. That win has given them a 15% chance of making the playoffs. Moreover, the Raiders still have an outside shot of winning the AFC West. 

The Raiders sit 11th in the current AFC standings. They are behind the Pittsburgh Steelers, Cincinnati Bengals, Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts. The Colts hold the seventh and final AFC playoff spot. 

All those teams hold head-to-head tiebreakers over the Raiders. For Las Vegas to make the playoffs as a division winner, they must win their final two games and hope the Kansas City Chiefs lose their final two games. 

Moreover, the Raiders could qualify for the playoffs as a wildcard team. However, they require help from several teams. To win a wildcard spot, the Raiders must win out and hope those teams above them lose their remaining games. 

Las Vegas plays the Indianapolis Colts in Week 17. It is a massive game. If the Raiders win, their playoff chances would rise to 30%. 

Who do the Raiders still have to play?

  • Week 17 at Indianapolis Colts
  • Week 18 vs. Denver Broncos

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