Can the Oakland Raiders Make Waves in the NFL Playoffs?

As the Raiders enter Week 13, they hold a one-game division lead over the Denver Broncos and control their own playoff destiny. A one-game lead over the Broncos is an interesting situation for Oakland—NFL analysts have been predicting the demise of Tim Tebow and the two-completion offense for weeks, but he just keeps winning and he’s going to give ESPN’s Merril Hoge a brain aneurism. Seriously, Hoge really, really hates that guy, and I don’t know why.

As the St. Tebow show keeps rolling with no end in sight, the Raiders are going to have keep winning to make sure they’re playing football in January. With three or four wins the rest of the way, the Raiders can make their first postseason appearance in nearly a decade (wow does it hurt to write that).

But what about once they get there? Will it be a one-and-done appearance for the Silver and Black?

Don’t count on it.

The Raiders are built like a successful playoff team should be: They can run the football with great success (fourth-ranked rushing attack), their defense comes up with big plays (top 10 in turnovers, sixth in sacks) and as you saw last week, nobody does special teams better than the Raiders (six field goals, anyone?).

Of course, the Raiders have their share of flaws. Their defense does give up big plays with alarming regularity, and we’ve covered the offense's second-half scoring woes. But what’s most important about the Raiders is that they’re starting to hit their stride. After some early-season losses when the defense was shredded by Ryan Fitzpatrick and Tom Brady, followed by a midseason panic when Oakland lost starter Jason Campbell for the year, the ship appears to have righted.

Since Carson Palmer’s disastrous debut where he threw three picks in a single half against Kansas City, the veteran quarterback is starting to show what made him a Pro Bowler in Cincinnati. Michael Bush has filled in admirably for Darren McFadden as well, and the Raiders have racked up three straight wins.

Oakland’s defense has also made huge plays during the win streak, forcing 11 turnovers and punishing quarterbacks with 15 sacks. Does that sound like the kind of defense opponents want to be facing in January? In fact, the pairing of a strong offense and a playmaking defense sounds a lot like the team that won the Super Bowl last year.

However, Oakland’s playoff success will not just depend on the Raiders playing well, but also on who their opponents are.

If the playoffs started today, the Raiders, Ravens, Patriots and Texans would be your division winners, with the Steelers and Bengals getting in as Wild Cards. The Texans and Patriots would receive first-round byes, and the Patriots would have home-field advantage throughout the postseason.

As the No. 4 seed, the Raiders would have the pleasure of hosting the Steelers during wild card weekend—what a great way to be welcomed back to the playoffs, huh?

But fear not, Raider Nation, this is not your dad’s Pittsburgh Steeler team; the Steelers are a flawed team that has benefited from a weak schedule.

The Steelers are the polar opposite of the Raiders in many ways: Although the Steelers defense surrenders few yards, it is very pedestrian in when it comes to pressuring the quarterback or forcing turnovers. The offense has also become a pass-first attack (eighth in the NFL), and the offensive line has failed to protect Ben Roethlisberger (fourth-most sacks surrendered).

The rest of the AFC playoff teams also have glaring weaknesses. The Texans don’t have a quarterback, since both of their Matts (Schaub and Leinart) are done for the year. The Ravens’ offense struggles on a regular basis, mostly due to Joe Flacco. Cincinnati is a very young and inexperienced team with a rookie quarterback. And although the Patriots are undoubtedly the AFC’s most dangerous team, their defense can’t stop a nosebleed.

So why not the Raiders? Although I don’t like their chances in a rematch with New England, Oakland can compete with any team in the conference. If Hue Jackson continues to coach to his team’s strengths (running the football while occasionally throwing downfield), the Raiders are as likely as anyone to be representing the AFC in the Super Bowl.

But first things first: The Raiders need to make it the playoffs or none of this matters. A win Sunday in Miami would certainly help, especially since St. Tebow is apparently never losing again. How the hell does he do it?

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