Playoff Hopes Dimmed During Bye for the Las Vegas Raiders

The Las Vegas Raiders entered their 2024 bye week clinging to faint playoff hopes, sitting at 4-5 with a narrow path to the AFC wild card. But instead of using the break to reset and watch the playoff picture shift in their favor, the Raiders watched helplessly as key rivals and wild-card competitors stacked up wins—widening the gap in the standings and pushing the team’s postseason chances to the brink of extinction. Playoff Hopes Dimmed During Bye for the Las Vegas Raiders explores the damaging AFC results, lingering team issues, and growing sense of despair that defined the Raiders’ bye week, painting a grim picture of what’s left of their 2024 season. For a fanbase already frustrated by years of inconsistency, the bye week didn’t just bring rest—it brought a harsh reality check.

Playoff Hopes Dimmed During Bye for the Las Vegas Raiders begins with the most devastating AFC outcome: the Jacksonville Jaguars’ 31-17 win over the Houston Texans. The Jaguars, who entered the bye week tied with the Raiders at 4-5 for the final wild-card spot, dominated from start to finish—quarterback Trevor Lawrence threw three touchdowns, and their defense held Houston to just 10 points in the second half. The win pushed Jacksonville to 5-5, giving them a critical one-game lead over the Raiders and improving their strength of schedule (a key tiebreaker). “That Jaguars win was a gut punch,” said Raiders fan Mike Torres, host of the “Raiders Nation Unfiltered” podcast. “We needed them to slip up, and instead they looked like a playoff team. It’s like every time we get a glimmer of hope, the teams ahead of us step on it.” Compounding the damage, the Miami Dolphins—another wild-card contender—routed the New England Patriots 45-17, improving to 8-4 and solidifying their hold on a top wild-card spot. The Dolphins’ offense, led by Tua Tagovailoa’s four touchdown passes, looked unstoppable, making it clear they’re no longer a team the Raiders can realistically catch. By the end of the bye week, the Raiders were two games back of the Jaguars and four games behind the Dolphins, with little room for error.

Playoff Hopes Dimmed During Bye for the Las Vegas Raiders continues with other AFC results that further buried the Raiders’ playoff chances. The Baltimore Ravens, who the Raiders face in Week 14, crushed the Cleveland Browns 28-3, improving to 9-3 and cementing their status as a top AFC seed. Quarterback Lamar Jackson threw for 250 yards and three touchdowns, while the Ravens’ defense held Cleveland to just 180 total yards—sending a clear message that the Raiders will face a daunting challenge when they meet. Meanwhile, the Denver Broncos— the Raiders’ divisional rival—pulled off a 20-17 overtime win over the Los Angeles Chargers, moving to 5-5 and tying the Jaguars for the final wild-card spot. The Broncos’ win was particularly painful for the Raiders: Denver now holds the head-to-head tiebreaker (having beaten the Raiders 24-17 in Week 6), meaning the Raiders would need to finish with a better record than Denver to overtake them. Even the Pittsburgh Steelers, a team the Raiders had hoped would falter, won their bye-week matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, improving to 6-4 and moving further ahead in the wild-card race. “It’s like the entire AFC decided to gang up on us during the bye,” said Sarah Lopez, a Raiders season-ticket holder. “Every team we needed to lose won, and every team we needed to beat got better. It’s hard to see any way out of this now.”

Playoff Hopes Dimmed During Bye for the Las Vegas Raiders includes a look at the Raiders’ own lingering issues, which the bye week failed to resolve—and in some cases, worsened. The team’s biggest concern remains its injury situation: left tackle Kolton Miller, who exited the Raiders’ Week 10 loss to the Browns with an ankle sprain, did not participate in full-contact drills during the bye week, and head coach Josh McDaniels admitted he’s “uncertain” about Miller’s availability for Week 12. Without Miller, the Raiders’ offensive line—already ranked 26th in pass protection—will struggle to keep quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo upright against the Ravens’ fearsome pass rush. The defense also took a hit: safety Tre’von Moehrig, who has been a bright spot in the secondary, suffered a setback in his recovery from a hamstring strain and is expected to miss at least two more games. For the Las Vegas Raiders, these injuries couldn’t have come at a worse time—they’re facing a stretch of games against some of the AFC’s top offenses, and their already thin roster can’t afford to lose key contributors. “Injuries are part of the NFL, but they’re killing us right now,” McDaniels said in a bye-week press conference. “We already had holes on both sides of the ball, and losing Kolton and Tre’von makes those holes even bigger. It’s going to be an uphill battle.”

Playoff Hopes Dimmed During Bye for the Las Vegas Raiders delves into fan reactions, which shifted from cautious optimism to outright despair as the bye week unfolded. Social media platforms were flooded with frustrated posts, with #RaidersPlayoffsOver trending on Twitter for 16 hours and a petition calling for McDaniels’ firing gaining over 20,000 signatures. On Reddit’s r/Raiders forum, a thread titled “Let’s be honest—our season is over” received over 7,000 comments, with most fans agreeing that the bye week had sealed the team’s fate. Local Las Vegas sports bars, which once buzzed with playoff talk, now have a somber atmosphere—many fans are skipping games or selling their tickets, and those who do attend are more likely to vent their frustration than cheer. “I’ve been a Raiders fan for 30 years, and this is one of the most depressing bye weeks I can remember,” said Juan Martinez, manager of The Silver and Black Tavern near Allegiant Stadium. “People are coming in, watching the other AFC games, and just shaking their heads. A lot of them are saying they’re not renewing their season tickets next year. The team has lost the fanbase’s trust, and this bye week only made it worse.” For the Las Vegas Raiders, the fan backlash isn’t just noise—it’s a reflection of years of unmet expectations. The team hasn’t made the playoffs since 2021, and another missed postseason will likely lead to significant changes in the front office and coaching staff.

Playoff Hopes Dimmed During Bye for the Las Vegas Raiders wraps up with the bleak reality of the Raiders’ remaining schedule and the slim chance of a miracle. The team’s final seven games include matchups against four teams with winning records: the Ravens (9-3), Kansas City Chiefs (10-2), Miami Dolphins (8-4), and Buffalo Bills (7-4). Even the “winnable” games—against the New England Patriots (3-8), New York Jets (4-7), and Denver Broncos (5-5)—are far from guaranteed, given the Raiders’ inconsistency. According to ESPN’s Football Power Index (FPI), the Raiders now have just a 9% chance of making the playoffs, down from 28fore the bye week. “The numbers don’t lie—our playoff chances are practically nonexistent,” said Raiders beat writer Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “The bye week didn’t just dim the lights; it turned them off. The Raiders would need to win six of their final seven games, including upsets over the Ravens, Chiefs, and Dolphins, to have any shot. That’s not a realistic scenario for a team that’s struggled to win back-to-back games all season.” Despite the long odds, some players are still clinging to hope. “We’re not giving up,” said defensive end Maxx Crosby, who leads the team with 11 sacks. “We have to take it one game at a time, and see what happens. Stranger things have happened in the NFL.” But for most fans and analysts, the writing is on the wall. In the end, Playoff Hopes Dimmed During Bye for the Las Vegas Raiders is a story of missed opportunities and harsh reality. The bye week was supposed to be a chance to reset, but instead it exposed the Raiders’ flaws and widened the gap between them and the playoff teams. For the Raiders, the rest of the 2024 season will likely be about evaluating talent, developing young players, and preparing for a rebuild—while fans are left to wonder when the franchise will finally turn things around.