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.