The Raiders have this week off, but that doesn't mean the games don't mean anything to them.
At 2-7, they are among a number of teams that have a shot at first place in the standings.
Two of these teams faced each other today in Germany – the Giants and the Panthers. This game ended with the Panthers winning 20-17 after overtime. And that's good news for the Raiders.
On the face of it, it doesn't seem like it matters when you consider that one team will have a better record anyway and thus be eliminated from the two-win group. But that's not really the case. Because when teams have the same record, who gets the higher pick depends on the strength of the schedule.
In this case, the Giants already have a stronger game plan than the Raiders, so they weren't ahead of them anyway. It is the Panthers who have a weaker schedule than the Raiders, and therefore the Panthers' win ensures that they avoid the Raiders.
That means there are still four teams ahead of the Raiders in the draft order as we head into Sunday's main games – Patriots, Jaguars, Saints and Browns.
