Reality is catching up to the dream
OAKLAND — The NFL’s trendy rebound pick has outgrown its label with a quarter of the season remaining.
The Raiders have reached 10 wins, in most years a post-season threshold, and they’re just getting to the gun lap with four games to play.
After a 38-24 win over the Buffalo Bills Sunday at the Coliseum, coach Jack Del Rio was predictably having none of it. He’s a believer in “the process,” which means zeroing in on the next game and stacking up wins.
The fan base, including a crowd of 54,759, can be forgiven for looking ahead. They’re enjoying their first winning season in 13 years, and they’re entitled to dream big.
After seeing all three phases contribute in a stunning reversal of a 24-9 third-quarter deficit against a team with playoff aspirations, the road to Super Bowl LI could conceivably come through Oakland.
Of course, there’s that daunting formality of a road assignment Thursday night at Arrowhead Stadium against the Chiefs, the team that handed the Raiders a 26-10 defeat back on Oct. 16.
And if the road-tested Raiders (5-0 plus a win in Mexico City) win in Kansas City, all things are possible:
Winning the AFC n West.
Getting a first-round n bye and a home opener in the playoffs.
Home field advantage n throughout leading up to the Super Bowl in Houston.
The Raiders have a quarterback Derek Carr and an edge player in Khalil Mack who can close out any game. An ability to run the ball when necessary. A defense that has given ground but finished off wins. Special teams which have swung field position consistently in their favor.
Left guard Kelechi Osemele, a starter on a Super Bowl champion in the 2012 season with the Baltimore Ravens, is focused on the Chiefs but can’t help but look at the Raiders’ lead and think of so much more.
“I see our quarterback just playing better and better each week, like a guy that can be Super Bowl MVP,” Osemele said. “I see an offensive line that’s pretty hell bent on protecting him. We’ve got to take it week by week and keep stacking up wins like we have been.”
After the Chiefs comes the “mini-bye” and 10 days until the Raiders visit San Diego. That’s followed by the regular-season home finale on Christmas Eve against Indianapolis, and Week 17 on the road against Denver.
A cursory look at the AFC finds the Raiders with as good a shot as anyone, and better than most.
New England has Tom Brady but lost tight end Rob Gronkowski, their second most important player, for the season, and wide receiver Danny Amendola is hurt as well.
The Chiefs and Broncos are on the schedule, dramas to be played out in the next month, and Denver was beaten soundly in Oakland.
The Raiders have already beaten Baltimore in Baltimore. Pittsburgh might be able to score with the Raiders but wouldn’t be able to stop them. Houston? Tennessee? Victims in Weeks 4 and 11.
Jalen Richard, being a rookie and not knowing any better, correctly assessed what’s on the line Thursday night.
“If we win this we can have some leeway, we can have some breathing room when it comes to the playoffs and then the road to the Super Bowl has to come through Oakland,” Richard said. “To do that, I know the city is going to go crazy.”
In their last three home games against Denver, Carolina and Buffalo, the Raiders have begun to finally create the homefield advantage in the place they hope to leave as soon as a stadium can be constructed.
Carr, speaking in a crowded interview room, can feel the vibe even if he doesn’t want to dwell on it.
“It’s an exciting time in Oakland, for our fans, I can’t lie about it,” Carr said. “Look how many people are here now. In my rookie year, it didn’t look like this. It’s fun times and we’re very thankful, but at the same time we’re not talking about what goes through us or anything like that. We still have yet to do anything.”
Outside linebacker Bruce Irvin, who won a championship with Seattle in Super Bowl XLVIII, was also attempting to put the genie back in the bottle. “The playoffs are a whole different story,” Irvin said.
Hard to believe, but it’s reached that point 12 games into the season, that if the Raiders merely make the playoffs and exit early, it’s a bit of a letdown. Progress is funny that way.