Graney: Resilient Raiders have playoff fate in their hands

There are two main reasons why the Raiders remain alive in the playoff chase.

First, they have been resilient. It’s an overused word in sports, but it has defined this Raiders team whose off-field drama has made it difficult to focus on actual football.

Whether it was the Jon Gruden resignation or the Henry Ruggs arrest or the Damon Arnette viral video, those within the locker room were sound enough to compartmentalize and remain crystal clear on the task at hand.

Then there are the COVID-19 absences and the injury issues of recent opponents. Both have greatly aided the Raiders’ late push that has them two wins from securing a playoff spot for the first time since 2016 and just the second since 2002.

Win two and in

It all continues Sunday at Indianapolis, where one of the NFL’s hottest teams in the Colts stands in the way of such a playoff pursuit by the Raiders.

Should the Raiders win and then defeat the Chargers at home next week, they’re in the tournament. That seemed altogether impossible when they were losing five of six games and falling to 6-7 just weeks ago.

“Emotionally, we’ve been through everything, for sure,” quarterback Derek Carr said. “I have a lot of questions, like why certain things had to happen. But at the end of the day, like we always talk about, nobody cares.

“The fact of the matter is, we have two games left and we need to win them. If we do and get in, it would be pretty remarkable and amazing.”

The team’s leadership group deserves praise for staying the course. It includes names like Carr and Yannick Ngakoue and Josh Jacobs and Johnathan Hankins.

When it came time — and there were several — for the Raiders to pack things up and view this season as yet another lost opportunity, the loudest voices in the room refused for it to occur.

And then everyone did their part.

“I mean, it’s a team game,” safety Dallin Leavitt said. “Everyone had to just do their jobs by their own actions every day. Be in the weight room, the film room, put the team first. It’s about wins and losses, but you’re worried about continuing to do your job and being the best teammate you can be.”

Then there is the part about who they Raiders have faced in winning the past two games.

They beat the Browns 16-14 when Cleveland had 18 players — including eight starters — out because of COVID. Nick Mullens played quarterback. Yeah. Big advantage to the winners.

The Raiders then beat the Broncos 17-13 when Denver started backup quarterback Drew Lock in place of a concussed Teddy Bridgewater.

And now, the Colts.

And, specifically, quarterback Carson Wentz.

‘Nobody has blinked’

The unvaccinated player was placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list this week. It was thought he would assuredly miss Sunday’s game. Until, that is, the league adopted new protocols Tuesday by reducing mandated quarantines to five days for asymptomatic players.

We should know if Wentz is eligible to play late Saturday afternoon or early Sunday, but understand this: It’s the present-day NFL, where 106 players went on the COVID list Monday. They all reportedly tested positive. This thing is spreading like wildfire. Anything could still happen.

So if you happen to catch a team with multiple cases and your chances of victory improve, so be it. If a player as important as Wentz plays, same idea.

None of it changes the fact that two wins means a playoff berth for the Raiders. A loss Sunday would either eliminate them from contention or lower their odds to minuscule. It would be smart to maintain that same crystal clear focus that has gotten them this far — no matter who’s on the other side.

“Nobody has blinked,” interim head coach Rich Bisaccia said. “We have gone through the storm together. We all held the line when it’s good and get on to the next day and improve when it’s not.”

There is a word for that. Resilient.

Ed Graney is a Sigma Delta Chi Award winner for sports column writing and can be reached at egraney@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4618. He can be heard on “The Press Box,” ESPN Radio 100.9 FM and 1100 AM, from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. Monday through Friday. Follow @edgraney on Twitter.