TIME FOR PLAYOFF PUSH

What appeared to be a pretty clear path to the playoffs following their last-second loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 11 quickly turned into a rocky road that had the Raiders on the outside looking in at the postseason.

- 

The only team to beat the defending Super Bowl champs this season, the Raiders stumbled and bumbled their way to a 43-6 loss to the Atlanta Falcons, a setback that was every bit as ugly and lopsided as the score. Las Vegas backed that up with an equally ugly effort against the New York Jets when it took a desperation Hail Mary pass from quarterback Derek Carr to rookie Henry Ruggs III to prevent what would have been a crushing loss to the only winless team in the NFL.

Once in control of their own destiny, the Raiders now need a little help down the stretch.

“It’s time to really put this thing together,” defensive lineman Clelin Ferrell said. “When we put it all together I don’t think there’s a team in this league that isn’t afraid of us. People have seen that. We beat the so-called world champions. We beat the Saints. We’ve played well against the top tier teams. We still have a long way to go. For this last stretch we have to focus in on putting it together as a team and realizing we have the ability to go really, really deep into the playoffs.”

First, however, Las Vegas has to get into the postseason party.