Oakland Raiders and the End of 2010: Two Wins, Two Losses or a Split?

Oh, but the fun we have, without the one horse sleigh.

The Oakland Raiders, sitting at 7-7 (Yes, that's right, they are at .500) are going to be hosting a Colts team that is presently fighting for their own playoff lives.

While their position is better than ours, controlling the AFC South, Oakland's path is a bit more difficult.

When Oakland takes the field at 4:05 PM local time, those Raiders may already be out of the playoffs. Kansas City, which plays early Sunday, will be hosting the Titans, a team that has been given up for dead, but somehow is "still" alive for their own postseason run.

Figure it out: They have to win out as well and hope both the Colts and Jags go a combined 0-4 for them to sneak into the playoffs.

Improbable, but stranger things have happened.

For Oakland, the Raiders' tasks are in their own hands; beating the Colts, for the obvious reason, is to continue their own season. If they are already out, by all means, win to improve their record and make the Patriots' price tag for Richard Seymour just that much lower.

But if by chance, the Raiders are done, going into Kansas City—who do you think will be cheering for the Raiders?

Obviously, the Raider Nation will be pulling for them, plus some of the enemies to the south.

What?

Well, think about it a moment: San Diego, to get into the playoffs, needs the Raiders to win one week from Sunday, in KC should KC win Sunday. It won't help Oakland get into the playoffs, but ironically, it would help knock KC out of their playoff spot and drop the Chiefs into second place.

I can imagine the Raider Nation has their own feelings about this chance—sure, it's great to win, but it's also fun to keep the Chargers out of the playoffs.

But which team would you hate more, to not make the playoffs? San Diego or Kansas City?

Back to the matters at hand, the Raiders do still stand a chance to make it in, if the Chiefs lose their next two games. Not exactly an easy task, given that the Chiefs are perfect at home.

But Oakland, in the last couple years, have felt at ease in KC. Will it be a worthwhile game?

Maybe.

As for San Diego, they as well would have to drop a game, for Oakland to run the table. How are the odds of that looking?

Considering they play the Bengals, who won last week and Denver, who lost to Oakland, again it looks improbable, but not out of the question, either.

For one, the Bengals took out the Browns, a team that for all it's talent, has a habit of playing it tough. The Bengals however won't have TO running routes, which might be a good thing for a change.

As for the Denver game, it would be ironic that Denver bests the reigning AFC West champions in Denver, and we all love to see Philip Rivers throw a tantrum on the sidelines, right?

I think a few people were shocked, when Denver came out swinging with a new QB. Given Denver will be three games into Tim Tebow's early career, it'll be interesting to see if his performance keeps him active for the Broncos.

So, as it stands, the path to the playoff is there—it's just up to the Raiders to do their part, win out and see the Chargers and Chiefs play down.

Good luck Raiders—considering what's happened the last seven years, you've already shocked the NFL. Keep it up.