Raiders' Rooting Guide for NFL Playoff Implications of Week 11

Interim head coach Antonio Pierce has breathed new life into the Las Vegas Raiders. Since taking over as interim head coach the Raiders are 2-0 and now sit at 5-5.

According to the New York Times' projections, the Raiders only have around a four percent chance of making the playoff field. But a small chance is better than no chance at all and Raider fan base isn't about to start rooting for draft positioning yet.

For Vegas to stun everyone and make the postseason they are going to have to keep winning. Beating the two New York teams at home was one thing, traveling to Miami and beating the Dolphins on the road would be another.

After that, they are going to need some help. The AFC is stacked with borderline playoff teams this season so the Raiders need to catch some breaks.

Here's a look at three results the Raiders should be rooting for this weekend.

Packers over Chargers

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AJ Dillon

It's highly unlikely that the Chiefs falter enough to lose the AFC West, but if they do, the Raiders are in the best position to take advantage. They are 2.5 games behind the division leader right now, but they are still in second place by a half-game over the 4-5 Chargers.

A loss to the Packers combined with a win for the Raiders over the Dolphins would work to extend that lead and essentially turn the AFC West into a two-team race.

The Chargers can still be a scary team if they are healthy and the defense figures things out. They put up 38 points on the Detroit Lions last week, but still lost on a 41-yard field goal as time expired.

The Packers are coming off of their own disappointing loss. A 23-19 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers puts them at 3-6 for the year.

If we're looking for a silver lining, the Packers moved the ball well against the Steelers. They had 399 total yards and averaged 4.8 yards per carry on the ground. Given the Chargers struggled on defense, the Packers shouldn't have a problem moving the ball and putting points on the board.

That could give them a chance to stay in this game and pull off an upset that will help the Raiders outlook in the division.

Steelers over Browns

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Dorian Thompson-Robinson

The Raiders need to hope that some of the teams who are ahead of them are headed for a collapse. After learning that Deshaun Watson is going to be out for the season, the Cleveland Browns could be one of those teams in for a rough finishing stretch.

With the Steelers coming to town, the Browns will turn to rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson to manage the offense. The fifth-round pick has just one other start this season. He threw three picks in a 28-3 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.

Despite Watson being in and out of the lineup this season, the Browns are 6-3 heading into the game. They have one of the best defenses in the league that is sure to keep them in games despite shaky quarterback play.

The fact that Thompson-Robinson will be at the helm widens the range of outcomes here.

If the Steelers pass rush can get pressure on him, he could look similar to the wide-eyed rookie who turned the ball over three times in a blowout loss.

That would create a grim outlook for the Browns for the rest of the season and open the door for the Raiders to compete for the seventh seed in the AFC.

Cardinals over Texans

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Kyler Murray

If the Raiders are going to make an improbable run to the postseason, they need some of the surprise teams in the AFC to cool off. No one has been more surprising than the Houston Texans.

After picking second (and trading up to third) in the draft last year, the Texans are looking like a team that could sneak into the playoffs this season. C.J. Stroud has gone off the last two weeks with 826 yards, six touchdowns and a pick in two huge wins for Houston.

But this is still a team that lost to the Carolina Panthers three weeks ago with Stroud only throwing for 140 yards.

So while they have a lot of momentum going into their game against the Cardinals, there's still hope for the Raiders that they could falter. The Cards just got Kyler Murray back and they beat the Falcons 25-23 in his season debut.

The Cardinals offense getting a boost, Arizona could go on a hot streak of their own.

That wouldn't hurt the Raiders, but the Texans continuing their own streak makes the Raiders small margin for error even smaller.