The easiest way for the Oakland Raiders to make the playoffs is to defeat the San Diego Chargers and hope the Denver Broncos fall to the Kansas City Chiefs. That gives them the AFC West division title, but a Wild Card spot can be had with a win plus losses by Cincinnati and Tennessee (or a victory by the New York Jets to replace the latter).
Well, Sports Illustrated's Peter King is having none of that. King predicts the Chargers to squeak by the Raiders by a field goal, 20-17. He writes:
The see-saw season ends for the Raiders, but look on the bright side: At least they'll eclipse the all-time record for penalties and penalty yards in a season with four penalties for at least eight yards.
It has been a long season for the Raiders, indeed. They have had to deal with the death of owner Al Davis; the team sent first-round draft picks to the Bengals for Carson Palmer and had to deal with the rise of Tim Tebow in the division. They'll just need to wait for another season to make the playoffs.
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