The Raiders had a chance to move into first place in AFC West on Monday night, but they needed a little help.
They did not get that help as the Chargers failed to beat the Chiefs in Mexico City on "Monday Night Football." Kansas City held on for a 24-17 victory and moved to 7-4 on the season.
The Raiders, coming off a 17-10 win over the Bengals, sit and 6-4 and remain in second place in the AFC West and in seventh place in the AFC playoff picture.
Had the Chargers won, the Raiders would have moved into third place in the AFC by virtue of the tiebreaker with the Indianapolis Colts.
Alas, the Raiders still are on the outside looking in.
Here's how the AFC playoff picture looks through 11 weeks of the NFL season.
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1. New England Patriots (9-1)
2. Baltimore Ravens (8-2)
3. Kansas City Chiefs (7-4)
4. Indianapolis Colts (6-4)
5. Buffalo Bills (7-3)
6. Houston Texans (6-4)
7. Oakland Raiders (6-4)
The good news for the Raiders is that their schedule the rest of the way is slightly easier than that of Kansas City's.
Oakland has six games remaining and only their Week 13 matchup against the Chiefs comes against a team with a winning record. The Raiders also have games remaining against the Jets (3-7), Titans (5-5), Jaguars (4-6), Chargers (4-7) and Broncos (3-7).
[RELATED: Raiders-Chiefs Week 13 clash flexed to afternoon slot]
After a bye next weekend, the Chiefs host the Raiders, then travel to New England to take on the AFC-leading Patriots. They close the season against the Broncos, Bears (4-6) and Chargers.
Buckle up because the last six weeks of the season are going to have many more twists and turns.
