Raiders Got Screwed by NFL Last Two Weeks

The Las Vegas Raiders have carried at least one tradition over from their days in Oakland: The second half of the season meltdown. Things were going so well for the Raiders in what feels like a time not that long ago. I was writing articles about how Derek Carr was getting disrespected in the MVP conversation and how the Raiders were a threat to make a run in the playoffs. 

Well, we all know how that turned out. Between issues on the field and a myriad of major drama off the field, this team has transformed from a contender into the fourth-place team in the AFC West. At one point they were 5-2 and led the AFC West ,and yet they were still not seeing any love in the Super Bowl futures market. 

Since then, they lost five of their last six, and things are pretty much over in Las Vegas. Yet these last couple of weeks the Raiders kind of got shafted by the NFL in terms of their travel schedule. 

The beginning of the end for them was their Thanksgiving game against the Cowboys which they actually won. Things turned south in a hurry after that awkwardly timed 1:30 PM kickoff on a Thursday afternoon. After coming back home and getting beaten by the Washington Football Team, they had to turn around and fly 1,139 and cross two time zones to get back and play the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 14. That game, for those that missed it, was a 48-9 "Scoragami" -- a score that has never been seen before.

Now, there is a lot more to do with these losses than just an annoying travel schedule and being forced to play on Thanksgiving. But, for a struggling team looking for an edge in each matchup, it was enough to spiral them out of control.