Last Week: Bengals 26, Raiders 19
The Raiders had largely relied on late rallies to build a four-game winning streak to get to the playoffs, but they came up just short of another one in Cincinnati. Las Vegas got down to the 9-yard line with 30 seconds to play and a chance to force overtime, but quarterback Derek Carr spiked the ball to stop the clock on first down and then threw two straight incompletions. He tried to force a fourth-down pass to Zay Jones, but it was intercepted by Bengals linebacker Germaine Pratt. Las Vegas trailed for most of the game but fell into its biggest deficit—14 points—during the second quarter, when Cincinnati scored a touchdown on a pass that replay revealed should have been ruled dead by an inadvertent whistle.
AFC DIVISIONAL-ROUND PLAYOFF MATCHUPS
Cincinnati Bengals at Tennessee Titans Saturday, January 22, 1:30 p.m., CBS (Channel 8)
Buffalo Bills at Kansas City Chiefs Sunday, January 23, 3:30 p.m. CBS (Channel 8)
Remaining Rooting Interest:
The Raiders probably don’t care which team reaches the Super Bowl out of the AFC, or even ultimately wins the championship … as long as it’s not the Chiefs. Despite Kansas City blowing out Las Vegas twice this season, the long-running rivalry felt ramped up. The Chiefs accused the Raiders of taking a victory lap around Arrowhead Stadium in their team bus after a road win last year and played up what they interpreted as a sign of disrespect going into both meetings. The Raiders also added new fuel this year when they purposefully held a pregame huddle over Kansas City’s logo at midfield at Arrowhead Stadium before a Week 14 game the Chiefs won 48-9.
Offseason Player to Watch: Quarterback Derek Carr
The most interesting situation starts at the top of the roster. Carr will head into the final year of his deal next season, and starting quarterbacks in the NFL rarely play out the course of their contracts. They’re either extended or moved, and both seem like possible scenarios for the eight-year veteran. Carr has been solid for the Raiders, but they’ll need to commit around $30 million per year to him on a new contract. That would limit resources to spend on the rest of the roster for years to come. It’s a no-brainer to keep him if the Raiders believe he can lead them to a deep playoff run, but considering he only just made his playoff debut against the Bengals, that will require a leap of faith.
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