Silver Minings: Week 14 has huge AFC playoff implications

The Las Vegas Raiders may have saved their season with a miracle win at the New York Jets on Sunday to improve to 7-5, but there is no time to rest.

Week 14 is a critical week in the AFC playoff picture and the Raiders are right in the middle of it. We should know a lot about the seven-team conference playoff picture after the weekend’s action which sees the7-5 Raiders host the 8-4 Indianapolis Colts on Sunday afternoon.

That isn’t the only big game in the conference this weekend. On Sunday night, the 11-1 Pittsburgh Steelers play the 9-3 Buffalo Bills. Also, the 11-1 Kansas City Chiefs play the 8-4 Miami Dolphins (who play in Las Vegas in Week 16). Then on Monday night, in a game that matters a lot to the Raiders, the 7-5 Baltimore Ravens play the 9-3 Cleveland Browns.

When the smoke clears, Week 14 will certainly play a big role in how the AFC playoff picture shakes out.

In other Raiders links:

• The Colts don’t make mistakes: They are fourth in the NFL in turnovers.
• Philip Rivers is hard to get to: The Colts have allowed the third fewest sacks in the NFL.
• Ruggs, Arnette grades: PFF grades all first-round picks thus are.
• Burfict arrest details: The Las Vegas Review-Journal has news on the arrest of former Raiders’ linebacker Vontaze Burfict.
• Jets try to tank? Bleacher Report looks at the last play of the Raiders’ win Sunday.