Raiders win keeps playoff hopes alive

In a game for which locating positives was about as difficult as finding a warm place to stand in frigid Cleveland on Monday, at least the Raiders had one thing going for them after Daniel Carlson’s last-second 48-yard field goal beat the depleted Cleveland Browns 16-14.

Their playoff chances, which were on life support when they boarded their plane for Cleveland on Sunday, went from bleak to still alive by the time they lifted back off for Las Vegas.

Had they lost, almost all postseason hope would have been gone.

That is what was at stake when the Raiders’ defense forced a three-and-out after Derek Carr’s fourth-quarter interception seemingly put them in dire straits.

“We found a way,” said defensive end Maxx Crosby. “All you can ask for is giving DC a chance to get us a dub.”

That is what was on the line when Carr marched the offense 41 yards into field goal range to redeem himself from the interception he threw just one minute earlier.

That is what was saved when Carlson connected on not one, but two 48-yard field goals to win the game. The first was called off after the Browns got a timeout in just the nick of time. The second essentially saved the Raiders’ postseason hopes.

For now.

The 7-7 Raiders went from 13th place in the AFC to 10th. Seven teams from each conference make the playoffs — the four division winners and three wild cards.

After Monday’s win, only one game separates the Raiders from the second and third wild-card spots. They have three games remaining, two of which are against teams currently holding playoff spots in the Indianapolis Colts and Los Angeles Chargers.

If they win out — which seems unlikely after Sunday’s lackluster victory over a Browns team for whom COVID-19 protocols rendered 18 players, including starting quarterback Baker Mayfield and backup Case Keenum, unavailable — their 10-7 record would put them in a strong position to secure a spot.

The Raiders are far from perfect, and they face a formidable last stretch of games against the 7-7 Broncos, the 8-6 Chargers and the 8-6 Colts. But a sweep to end the season would give them a head-to-head tiebreaker edge over the Colts, Browns, Steelers, Ravens and Dolphins, an 8-4 record in the AFC and 3-3 in their division.

It doesn’t exactly guarantee them a playoff spot. But the odds would certainly be in their favor.

“We’re 7-7. We are what our record is. We just have to take it one at a time,” Crosby said. “This was a big step on the road, no matter what it is. We had some guys out. They had some guys out, and we got a win. We found a way. So we got Denver next week. We need to lock back in. We’ve only got six days to recover. We’re excited about the challenge.”

Contact Vincent Bonsignore at vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com. Follow @VinnyBonsignore on Twitter.