Raiders officially out of the playoff race (yes, this just happened)

Believe it or not, up until today the Raiders were still in playoff contention. Albeit, an extremely long shot, mathematically they had yet to be eliminated. That happened this morning when the Dolphins beat the Patriots in Miami. Now, it's official.

The Dolphins now sit at 8-8 and in line for the final playoff spot. The Raiders can do no better than 7-9 should they win out the season -- as improbable as that would be.

Had the Dolphins lost the game, the Raiders losing to the Chiefs today would have also made it official. Had the Dolphins lost and the Raiders won, a Ravens win on Monday night would do it.

So, even before the Raiders kicked off today, they were already eliminated from the playoffs. Now all they can do is try to play spoiler. They face their three division rivals to finish off the season, all of whom are still playoff bound.