No time to lose
Raiders facing an uphill climb in effort to qualify for postseason berth as AFC wild card
ALAMEDA — What a difference three weeks makes.
It was that short time ago that Raiders safety Charles Woodson was encouraging his team to embrace its role as a playoff contender.
Three straight losses have followed, and the Raiders have dropped from the AFC wild-card leaders to a playoff long shot, likely needing to go at least 5-1 the rest of the way.
“We have to keep the faith, stay strong,” coach Jack Del Rio said. “When you’re faced with adversity like we are, when you drop a few in a row — we dropped three in a row, and we had our chances in each of those games — you have to be able to get up, dust yourself off and move forward.”
Quarterback Derek Carr insisted he isn’t paying any attention to the playoff race.
“I just know that I need to take care of my business,” Carr said. “Every game for me is urgent.”
That sense of urgency is shared throughout the locker room.
“We need to start putting together some wins, definitely start stacking them up,” cornerback David Amerson said. “Time’s getting short. We’re getting toward the bottom of the season. Right now,
we’re starting to get into the mentality of all or nothing.”
That’s good, because the Raiders have lost any room for error. Here’s a look at how Oakland stacks up with the rest of the AFC playoff contenders:
RAIDERS (4-6)
Remaining schedule: at Tennessee (2-8), Kansas City (5-5), at Denver (8-2), Green Bay (7-4), San Diego (2-8), at Kansas City.
The skinny: It’s hard to imagine anything less than 5-1 being enough for the Raiders to make their first postseason appearance since 2002.
The back-to-back games against the Broncos and Packers make the road to a winning record extremely difficult, and that’s assuming they can win the other four. The way the Raiders are playing now, no wins can be assumed. A win against the Titans could get them started, but the postseason will likely have to wait until 2016 or beyond.
PITTSBURGH STEELERS (6-4)
Remaining schedule: at Seattle (5-5), Indianapolis (5-5), at Cincinnati (8-2), Denver (8-2), at Baltimore (3-7), at Cleveland (2-8).
The skinny: The Steelers are 4-2 when Ben Roethlisberger plays. He was expected to miss a couple of weeks after injuring his foot against the Raiders on Nov. 8 but was called into emergency backup duty just a week later and threw for a season-high 379 yards. If they can split the next four tough games, wins in the final two are likely to finish 10-6 and in the playoffs.
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (5-5)
Remaining schedule: Buffalo (5-5), at Oakland (46), San Diego (2-8), at Baltimore (3-7), Cleveland (2-8), Oakland.
The skinny: The Chiefs have the most manageable schedule of the playoff contenders, which boosts their odds considerably.
They get to play half of their games against fellow teams in the mix and the other three are against AFC bottom-feeders. They’re also the hottest team with four straight wins, all by double digits and with an average margin of 22.8 points.
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (5-5)
Remaining schedule: Tampa Bay (5-5), at Pittsburgh (6-4), at Jacksonville (4-6), Houston (5-5), at Miami (4-6), Tennessee (2-8).
The skinny: It once seemed a certainty that Indianapolis, despite its struggles, would win the AFC South. But now the Colts been caught by Houston and don’t know when quarterback Andrew Luck will return. They’ve got an easier remaining schedule than the Texans, giving them a small advantage in the division.
HOUSTONTEXANS (5-5)
Remaining schedule: New Orleans (4-6), at Buffalo (5-5), New England (100), at Indianapolis (5-5), at Tennessee (2-8), Jacksonville (4-6).
The skinny: Houston, which has started three quarterbacks this year, has found its way back in the mix. It’s hard to imagine either Houston or Indianapolis earning a wild-card spot, but one will win the division and get in.
BUFFALO BILLS (5-5)
Remaining schedule: at Kansas City (5-5), Houston (5-5), at Philadelphia (4-7), at Washington (4-6), Dallas (3-8), New York Jets (5-5).
The skinny: The Bills have three games against AFC contenders, which gives them ample opportunity to put themselves in a good spot both in the standings and in terms of tiebreakers. Completing a sweep of the Jets would really help their chances.
NEWYORKJETS (5-5)
Remaining games: Miami (4-6), at New York Giants (5-5), Tennessee (2-8), at Dallas (3-8), New England (10-0), at Buffalo (5-5).
The skinny: The Jets have lost four of five and don’t face a favorable closing schedule. Finishing up with the Patriots and Round 2 against former coach Rex Ryan puts them in bad shape.
JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS (4-6)
Remaining games: San Diego (2-8), at Tennessee (2-8), Indianapolis (5-5), Atlanta (6-4), at New Orleans (4-6), at Houston (5-5).
The skinny: Postseason talk is still really premature with this team, but the Jaguars could generate some buzz if they knock off those two-win teams up next on the schedule.
MIAMI DOLPHINS (4-6)
Remaining games: at New York Jets (5-5), Baltimore (3-7), New York Giants (5-5), at San Diego (28), Indianapolis (5-5), New England (10-0).
The skinny: The Dolphins got a little spark after firing Joe Philbin, winning two straight. But they’ve lost three of four since then, and it doesn’t look as if interim coach Dan Campbell is going to lead Miami on a playoff run.