The Las Vegas Raiders remained in the hunt for a wild-card spot in the AFC playoff picture with their crucial win over the Denver Broncos in Week 16.

It was not an overall flawless performance by the Raiders, especially as the offense strung together a mere three scoring drives over the course of the contest. Still, cornerback Desmond Trufant and the Raiders pass defense led the way in the end, as Broncos quarterback Drew Lock found quite a difficult time in moving the ball downfield.

For Raiders quarterback Derek Carr, he had one key message following his team’s much-needed win over an AFC West rival.

At this point in the campaign, the final score is all that sure matters for teams. And for the Carr and the Raiders, they have now posted a winning streak at just the right time in the season, as they now hold the No. 9 seed in the AFC playoff picture.

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As it stands, the Raiders may need to finish regular season play with pivotal wins over both the Indianapolis Colts and Los Angeles Chargers coupled with getting plenty of outside help in order to sneak into the playoffs as a wild-card team.

In the unpredictable world of the NFL, one sure can not count out Carr and company from making a long-awaited return to the playoffs.