It has been a tumultuous 2017 NFL season for the Oakland Raiders yet, somehow, they find themselves in position to win the AFC West division. The Raiders took another step towards that goal on Sunday with a 24-17 win over the lowly New York Giants.
During the first half of the year, it looked as if Oakland was ready to crash and burn before all the lofty expectations they had set. However, they have managed to get back on track while the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers fell into a slump. Even head coach Jack Del Rio himself admitted how fortunate this team is to still have a chance at the playoffs during the team's press conference:
“It’s a good division, a strong division. It’s one that we’ve had, I would say, maybe a down year in terms of us hitting a little bit of a dry spell for a stretch, the Chargers hit a dry spell for a stretch to start the year, the Chiefs are in one now. We’re all good football teams and we’re all alive right now. We all have an opportunity.”
There was speculation that the AFC West was going to be the toughest division in football hands down this year. Early on, it looked as if it might be. However, the tide quickly changed soon thereafter.
They now look like the only division that could be championed by a nine-win team. Fortunately, that could ultimately work out in the Raiders favor as they look to break the three-way tie this week when they hit the road to take on the Chiefs.
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