Week 9 was not kind to the Las Vegas Raiders. The team fell to the Giants in a very winnable game, dropping them down to 5-3.
What also hurt was that every other AFC West team won and other AFC contenders, such as the Patriots, Browns, Ravens, Titans and Colts all got wins on Sunday. Those wins all dramatically decreased the odds of the Raiders making the playoffs in 2021.
Just how much did their odds drop? According to FiveThirtyEight, the Raiders had a 65 percent chance to make the playoffs entering Week 9. Now, those odds sit at only 42 percent. The site now projects to finish the season at 9-8, which is a one-win decrease from last week.
It’s also worth mentioning that the Raiders’ odds to win the AFC West decreased from 33 percent to 10 percent in just one week. They still lead the AFC West going into Week 10, but both the Chargers and Chiefs are right behind them.
One loss won’t define the season for the Raiders, but it certainly was a costly one. The team is set to take on the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 10 on Sunday Night Football.
If they are able to win that game, we should see their odds increase back up to the 65 percent range and be right back in the thick of things in the division. We still have a lot of the season left to go and the Raiders are certainly in playoff contention once again.