Las Vegas Raiders: Final stretch will show what team is made of

The Las Vegas Raiders’ final four games will show just what kind of team they are.

Saying that the 2020 NFL season for the Las Vegas Raiders has been a roller coaster ride would be an understatement. They’ve had highs such as being the only team to beat the Kansas City Chiefs to this point (in Arrowhead no less) as well as nearly beating them the second time.

On the flip side, they also lost 43-6 to the Atlanta Falcons and came within a blown defensive play call on the last play of the game to beat the winless New York Jets (some believe the call was intentional but that’s a conversation for another day).

Entering the final quarter of the season, the Raiders will be able to find out just what they’re made of. As it currently stands, the Raiders are the outside looking in at the seven playoff slots in the AFC, sitting as the No. 8 seed. The three teams ahead of them for the three Wild Cards are the Indianapolis Colts, Miami Dolphins and Cleveland Browns.

The Raiders’ next opponent? The Indianapolis Colts. They then have a division matchup with the Los Angeles Chargers followed by another game with playoff implications as they meet the Dolphins before wrapping up with the Denver Broncos.

The Las Vegas Raiders have been hard to quantify but we’ll soon find clarity.

Given the up and down nature of the 2020 season for the Raiders, this last stretch will be very telling. Two games divisional games and two games against the two teams directly ahead of them for the playoffs.

Sure, the Raiders are coming off of a win but it was against the winless Jets in a game for all intents and purposes they had lost. They need to treat that game as a loss and come into this Colts game as hungry as possible. The Wild Card is essentially the Raiders’ only shot at the playoffs, so these last four games are beyond crucial.

Simply put, the Raiders need to play these last four games as their season depends on them — because, quite frankly, they are. Every game is essentially a playoff game that needs to be taken ultra seriously, unlike the aforementioned Jets game.

Jon Gruden is a coach that’s been to the mountain top, so he will hopefully have them ready, while quarterback Derek Carr is a seasoned veteran who for the most part has been playing good football. He’ll need to keep that up. It certainly helps that Darren Waller has broken out and making his case as one of the best tight ends in the game.

The Raiders’ playoff dreams can come true in 2020, all they have to do is just win, baby.