It’s been a long time since the Raiders were in the playoffs, but that drought could soon be over.
If the 10-3 Raiders can beat the 5-8 Chargers Sunday, Oakland will clinch its first trip to the postseason since 2002. The Raiders still have hopes they can clinch the AFC West title, but they’re going to need help. They and the Chiefs have the same record atop the division, but the Chiefs have the tiebreaker, having beaten Oakland twice this season.
The Raiders need to win out – over the Chargers, Colts and Broncos – with the Chiefs stumbling at least once against the Titans, Broncos and Chargers.
A win Sunday would give head coach Jack Del Rio a playoff berth in just his second season, following a long parade of failed coaches in Oakland since 2002.
The Chargers look vulnerable, proving week after week they can come up with new ways to lose close games. However, San Diego is a dangerous team with a terrific quarterback. Philip Rivers leads a team that ranks fourth in the league in scoring, and Rivers has thrown for 3,589 yards and 27 touchdowns. However, he’s also thrown a league-high 17 interceptions and been sacked 33 times. Those are huge negatives in comparison with Raiders QB Derek Carr, who’s thrown five interceptions and been sacked 13 times.
Carr says the Raiders can’t take their eyes off this game or their goal of winning a division championship.
“We’ve got to take care of business first, but obviously to be able to do that (clinch a playoff spot), it’s really cool for our fans,” he told Jimmy Durkin of the Bay Area News Group this week. “It’s really cool for our organization. There’s been a lot of hard work put into this place and it would make people feel really good.
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“But just making the playoffs isn’t our goal. We want to obviously win the division. We want to go on and do damage in the playoffs and win the Super Bowl. It all starts with this game and we’ve got to focus and lock in on San Diego because they’re a really good team.”
The Raiders beat the Chargers 34-31 in October at O.co Coliseum, with Carr throwing for 317 yards and two TDs, including one to wide receiver Amari Cooper, who had six catches for 138 yards.
The Raiders are hoping Carr can bounce back from his worst game of the season in a loss to the Chiefs, when he threw for just 117 yards. The Chargers’ Rivers also had a rough game in a loss to the Panthers last week, throwing three picks and fumbling twice.
Oddsmakers have made the Raiders 2½-point favorites for the game at Qualcomm Stadium. Kickoff is set for 1:25 p.m.
