NFL roundup: Raiders clinch first playoff appearance since 2002
By Brad Weiss
With their win against the San Diego Chargers on Sunday, the Oakland Raiders clinched their first playoff appearance since 2002.
In a seesaw game that went down to the end, the Oakland Raiders beat the San Diego Chargers on Sunday, clinching their first playoff appearance since 2002. Running back Latavius Murray ran all over the Chargers defensive front in the second half, and Khalil Mack forced Philip Rivers into an interception late in the fourth quarter. The Raiders moved to 11-3 on the season, and back into first place in the AFC West.
The Brock Osweiler experiment in Houston may actually be finished after 14 games, as the team benched him during their 21-20 win against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday. Osweiler threw two first half interceptions, as the Texans nearly lost to a very bad Jaguars team at home. However, backup quarterback Tom Savage led the team to 10 fourth quarter points, as the Texans remained tied atop the AFC South with the Tennessee Titans.
Staying with the Jaguars, after the loss, which was the team’s ninth in a row, the organization decided to part ways with head coach Gus Bradley. The Jags are currently 2-12 on the season, and the hopes of them being a playoff team have been gone since the middle of the season. Jacksonville loaded up on free agent talent for their defense this past offseason, but they have under-performed, and quarterback Blake Bortles has taken a step back in his development.
Playing in Denver is never an easy task for Tom Brady, and it once again proved to be trouble this weekend. However, the New England Patriots defense held the Broncos to only three points in the game, as the Pats won the rematch of last year’s AFC Championship Game. With the win, the Patriots clinched the AFC East for the eighth straight season, and will definitely have a first round bye in the playoffs.
In Kansas City, the Chiefs faced the upstart Tennessee Titans on Sunday, in a matchup of two first place teams. The Titans had not been at least tied for first place this late in a season since 2008, and faced a tall order playing against the Chiefs in overtime.
However, quarterback Marcus Mariota led the team on some nice late drives, and Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith faltered in the second half, and the Titans won on a late second 53-yard field goal by Ryan Succop. The win enabled the Titans to stay with the Texans in first place in the AFC South, while the Chiefs dropped behind the Raiders and into second in the AFC West.
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The biggest surprise of the weekend was the Indianapolis Colts, who went into Minnesota and throttled the Vikings. Minnesota was on a high coming into the game, as star running back Adrian Peterson was making his return to the starting lineup. However, those feelings quickly evaporated, as the Colts put it on the Vikings in a 34-6 victory. The Colts raced out to a 27-0 half time lead and never looked back.