The Raiders have won three of seven games. Along with everyone in the AFC except the Jaguars, the Raiders have legitimate hope for a playoff berth.
Their coach says the time has come to seize it.
“It’s time for us,” Dennis Allen said Friday, via the Associated Press. “If we’re going to do something, we need to start making some sort of move. The consistency with our football team is something that I’ve talked about a lot, and that’s what we have to develop. If we’re ever going to become the team we think we can become, then we need to put some things together.”
After opening the season with a close loss to the Colts, the Raiders beat the Jaguars, lost to the Broncos and Redskins, beat the Chargers, lost to the Chiefs, and beat the Steelers. On Sunday, the Eagles limp into town, giving the Raiders a chance to win two in a row and move their record to 4-4 at the turn.
“Like I’ve said from the very beginning, I like this football team,” Allen said. “We need to play well and we need to be a more consistent team. That’s what the good teams are able to do. I think our guys recognize the importance of every game that we play from here on out.”
Quarterback Terrelle Pryor is ready to embrace the challenge.
“We’re definitely going to get to four wins. That part’s easy,” Pryor said this week. “Whether it’s this week or next, we’re going to get to four wins and get a lot more wins, I guarantee that. If we work our butts off, it’s only clear for us to win. That’s my mindset and that’s guaranteed.”
It remains to be seen whether Pryor and the Raiders can deliver. The fact that they even have optimism in November is an encouraging development for a franchise that many assumed would be among the worst in the league this year.