Raiders have to focus on wild card

The Oakland Raiders shocked many last year when they went 12-4 and reached the playoffs for the first time since 2002. Oakland unfortunately was short-circuited by the loss of Derek Carr in Week 16, with the franchise quarterback breaking his leg.

However, after the additions of Cordarrelle Patterson and Marshawn Lynch in the offseason, along with draft picks Obi Melifonwu and Gareon Conley, there was real hope the Raiders would make a Super Bowl push in 2017.

So far, that hasn’t worked out. Melifonwu is on IR while Conley has been in and out of the lineup with shin issues. The Raiders have suffered defensively, with the team struggling once again in a 30-17 defeat at home against the Baltimore Ravens. In its previous two games, Baltimore scored 16 points combined facing the Jacksonville Jaguars and Pittsburgh Steelers.

The loss to Baltimore leaves the Raiders at 2-3 and in third place of the AFC West. Atop the division is the Kansas City Chiefs, who remain undeafted going into Week 6 after winning 42-34 over the Houston Texans on Sunday night. Kansas City is already three games ahead of the Raiders, who they see on a Thursday night in Week 7 at the Oakland Coliseum.

Still, even if the Raiders were to close the gap, it’s hard seeing them catching the Chiefs. Kansas City is playing the tough part of its schedule and is yet to lose a game. Oakland still has the toughest part of its to come, with the Philadelphia Eagles, Buffalo Bills and Chiefs on the road, along with a neutral site affair against the New England Patriots.

Even assuming that Carr comes back and remains healthy for the rest of the season, the Raiders would be hard-pressed to find more than 10 wins on the slate. Kansas City could go 6-5 the rest of the way and beat that record.

In other words, Raiders fans should begin to look at the AFC playoff picture through a different prism. Oakland should be a aiming to get ahead of the Denver Broncos, who are 3-1 and sit 1.5 games ahead of them for second in the division. Denver already won the first matchup between the two teams in Week 4, 16-10 at Mile High. However, the Raiders will have their chance for revenge at home later on, giving them a chance to climb back into the fray.

Oakland still has a chance to make some real noise come December and January, but the time is now to make a considerable move. Another loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday at the Coliseum, and talk will begin about the Raiders being one of the biggest disappointments this season.