Will the Oakland Raiders finally make the playoffs this season?

One of the worst teams in the NFL over the last ten years has been without a doubt the Oakland Raiders. With a reputation of being one of the most successful franchises in the NFL under controversial owner Al Davis, there was a lot of pressure on the team to be a success and produce a winner, but they just haven’t been able to pull it together since 2002 when they made it to the Super Bowl and lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

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Fortunately, last season was a breath of fresh air for the struggling storied franchise as they were able to have their best season since 2002 finishing with an 8-8 record and going undefeated in the AFC West with a 6-0 record. Despite having their best season in years and finally seeing running back Darren McFadden emerge as one of the best players at his position in the NFL, the Raiders missed the playoffs and became the first team in NFL history to miss the playoffs after going undefeated in divisional play.

With a somewhat successful season in the books, the Oakland Raiders had high hopes of getting to the next step this season and finally making it back into the playoffs. With Darren McFadden turning the Raiders running game into one of the best in the NFL and the defense getting a boost with Richard Seymour in the mix, Oakland had a shot of being playoff bound this season, but not many people bought into the prospect of this franchise continuing to improve.

Despite the doubts of many NFL analysts and fans, the Oakland Raiders have played extremely well in the first three weeks of the season with two wins and one loss that could have easily gone the other way. The win over the arch rival Denver Broncos in Week 1 was a nail-bitter, but the Oakland Raiders pulled it out and got their first win of the season.

Oakland Raiders

In Week 2, the Oakland Raiders were challenged yet again against a very good Buffalo Bills team. With the game on the line late in the contest, the Raiders were able to grab the lead and looked as if they were going to win their second straight game to start the season, but then Ryan Fitzpatrick and company rallied from behind to pull off the upset.

Even though the Oakland Raiders were coming off a loss, the game against the Bills turned a lot of heads and got a lot of people considering the silver and black to be the real deal this season. That stance strengths after Week 3 as Darren McFadden and company dominated one of the best teams in the league in the New York Jets.

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With the win over the Jets, the Raiders have been officially dubbed a force to be reckoned with in the AFC Conference and quite possibly the team to beat in the AFC West division. Until the Raiders face off against the rival Chargers, this team will still be doubted in terms of just how good they are this season, but I firmly believe this is the year that Oakland makes it back into the playoffs.