"The Raiders had control of their playoff destiny within their grasp Sunday before they caved under an avalanche of big plays that left them buried in the land of what could have been. The Raiders squandered a 10-point lead and wasted a 476-yard offensive showing, including 209 total yards and three touchdowns by running back Darren McFadden, in a 38-31 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. "It kicks you in the teeth," Raiders coach Tom Cable said. Things could have been much worse for the Raiders. They received word during the long flight home that the San Diego Chargers beat the AFC West-leading Kansas City Chiefs in a win-lose kind of game for the Raiders. The Chargers' victory moved them a game ahead of the Raiders at 7-6. The Chiefs fell to 8-5, remaining two games ahead of the Raiders. The Raiders now need to make up at least one game on the Chargers and two games on the Chiefs if they are to end their seven-year skid of not making the playoffs. "That makes it tougher because you're expecting to win (Sunday), and then with what's going on with Kansas City, you're like, 'OK, we'll be a step closer,' " Raiders cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha said of the Chiefs being without starting quarterback Matt Cassel. "There's still hope. ... The thing was, we were in position to kind of take control of it. So, now you're getting to the point where you need different things to happen for you to get in." The Raiders no longer hold an edge over the Chargers after working so hard to put them in a hole -- the Raiders beat them both times this season and hold a tiebreaker if they finish with identical records. The Chargers can prevent the Raiders from making the playoffs by beating the 49ers, Cincinnati Bengals and Denver Broncos in their final three games. Those three teams are a combined 10-29 this season. The Chiefs can eliminate the Raiders with victories in their next two games, which would render the teams' regular-season finale in Kansas City meaningless. The Raiders beat the Chiefs earlier in the season." Read more: http://www.insidebayarea.com/raiders/ci_16843091
