Two weeks ago, the Raiders were riding a three-game winning streak and looked like they were primed for a playoff position.
A lot can change in a week.
The Silver and Black went to the Meadowlands in Week 12 and were throttled by the Jets 34-3. The loss knocked the Raiders out of the playoff picture and took their chances of making the playoffs from 60 percent down to 24 percent. Then, after the Bills beat the Cowboys on Thanksgiving, the Raiders' odds dropped to 20 percent heading into their Week 13 game against the Chiefs.
The Raiders (6-5) still have everything in front of them, but the path to the playoffs got a little dicier after Jon Gruden's club laid an egg in New York. If the Raiders beat the Chiefs on Sunday, they will jump into a tie for first place in the AFC West and increase their chances of making the playoffs to 46 percent. If they lose, however, their chances plummet to nine percent.
Quarterback Derek Carr never has won in Arrowhead Stadium and has played poorly in cold weather throughout his career, which doesn't bode well for the Raiders' hopes Sunday.
If the Raiders fall to 6-6, they likely will need to win at least three of their final four games and then hope the Steelers, Colts, Titans and Browns don't get hot and steal the No. 6 seed.
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The playoffs still could be in the Raiders' future, but the path got a lot tougher.
