One stat sums up why Raiders are likely to miss playoffs for a fourth straight season
The Raiders did something on Thursday you don’t see often in the NFL: they blew a lead in overtime and lost 30-27 to the Chargers.
After Daniel Carlson kicked a 23-yard field goal with 3:22 to play in the extra period, the Raiders really needed to avoid committing a key penalty or giving up a long play to the Chargers.
The Raiders did both.
First there was a pass interference call on a second-and-10 play that moved the ball to the Chargers’ 45-yard line. On the very next play, LA quarterback Justin Herbert threw a 53-yard bomb that set up a game-winning touchdown run by Herbert.
The Raiders’ record dropped to 7-7 and they have two more losses than the 8-5 Dolphins and 8-5 Ravens, who are also fighting for the No. 7 spot in the AFC playoff field.
FiveThirtyEight.com gives Las Vegas just a 2% chance of making the playoffs, meaning the Raiders are likely to miss the postseason for the fourth straight season.
After finishing with a 12-4 record in 2016 and being a wild card team, this has been the Raiders’ record by season:
- 6-10 in 2017
- 4-12 in 2018
- 7-9 in 2019
- 7-7 in 2020
Jon Gruden replaced Jack Del Rio as the Raiders’ coach ahead of the 2018 season, but they’ve both had the same struggles. This note from ESPN Stats & Info sums up why the Raiders have been home when the playoffs start:
Here’s a closer look at how the Raiders have compiled that .278 win percentage in December/January games.
2017: The Raiders were 6-6 after a win on Dec. 3, then lost their final four games of the season.
2018: The Raiders actually won half of their games that season in December when they were 2-3.
2019: In mid-November, there was a lot of chatter about how the 6-4 Raiders would pass the 6-4 Chiefs for the AFC West crown. Instead, the Raiders went 1-4 in December, while the Chiefs went unbeaten.
2020: Heading into a home game against the Chiefs on Nov. 22, the Raiders had a 6-3 record. They’ve won just once since then: that fortunate 31-28 victory against the winless Jets. The Raiders are 1-2 in December games.
