We almost did it. The Oakland Raiders went into their final game of the season with the chance to win and move on to the playoffs, for the first time since 2002. The Silver and Black came into the January 1st game against the San Diego Chargers with their own destiny in their hands. At home, no less. But they failed in their mission and lost the game 38-26 and also lost their hopes of post-season play. Their loss, along with the other wins and losses on the last day of the regular season (and the first day of the new year), clarified the NFL playoff picture as to who’s in and who’s out.

An NFL football.
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The Raiders’ loss was a boon to the Denver Broncos, who lost to the Kansas City Chiefs 7-3, but still won the division. The Broncos will now host Pittsburgh in the first round of the playoffs. With their loss, the Broncos created the opportunity for the Raiders to clinch the AFC West with their win, but the Raiders could not capitalize on the opportunity and the slot goes to Denver.

The NFL playoff picture includes returning and expected teams like the Green Bay Packers, the New England Patriots, the Baltimore Ravens, the New Orleans Saints, Pittsburgh Steelers and the Atlanta Falcons. I’m excited because there are also unexpected teams like the San Francisco 49ers, the Cincinnati Bengals, Detroit Lions, Denver Broncos and, for the very first time, the Houston Texans. The New York Giants will be there too, after an amazing game that saw them beat the Dallas Cowboys on the strong performance of QB Eli Manning.

Another amazing performance on that last Sunday of the regular season was turned in by Green Bay’s QB. And it was not starter Aaron Rodgers, who was resting in anticipation of the playoffs, it was backup QB Matt Flynn. Flynn broke Packers’ teams records going for 480 yards passing for six touchdowns.

The first of January gave three losses to the four AFC playoff teams. The Bengals, Texans and Broncos all lost, only the Steelers won their last game. The playoffs will start off with Cincinnati against Houston early on Saturday, January 7, followed by Detroit at New Orleans. Sunday will bring the Giants against Atlanta. And while all that is going on, Raiders fans like me will be looking towards the 2012 season.

Although born and raised with Eagles fans in Philadelphia, Freddy Sherman has always been a citizen of Raider Nation at heart. Since his dad got him a signed George Blanda football as child, to meeting Lyle Alzado in the 1980s, he hasn’t looked back. Follow him on twitter @thefredsherman

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Read More: Carson Palmer (QB – OAK), Antonio Gates (TE – SDC), Philip Rivers (QB – SDC), Sebastian Janikowski (K – OAK), Mike Tolbert (FB – SDC), Darrius Heyward-Bey (WR – OAK), Louis Murphy (WR – OAK), Richard Goodman (WR – SDC), Curtis Brinkley (RB – SDC), San Diego Chargers, Oakland Raiders

The Oakland Raiders had a great shot to get to the playoffs if they could get some help from the Kansas City Chargers. They’re getting that help, but they’re hardly helping themselves. After Oakland punted the football, Philip Rivers went right back to work, connected with Antonio Gates for 37 yards and Malcolm Floyd for 16 yards. Nice rushes by Curtis Brinkley helped set up a Mike Tolbert one yard touchdown rush to put San Diego up 14-7.

Oakland drove right back down the field with Carson Palmer connected with Louis Murphy and Darrius Heyward-Bey to help set up a Sebastian Janikowski 52 yard field goal, but San Diego came right back with a Richard Goodman 105 yard kickoff return to put them up 21-10. The teams traded field goals to end the first half thanks to solid passing by both Palmer and Rivers, and another quick Oakland drive with a huge Palmer pass to start the second half helped put more points on the board thanks to Janikowski.

The Raiders would win the AFC West if they win and the Denver Broncos lose–which they are currently doing to the Kansas City Chiefs.

To discuss the game with Raiders fans, go to Silver and Black Pride. To check out the game with Chargers fans, head to Bolts from the Blue.

The count down to the all-important game between the Oakland Raiders and the San Diego Chargers is here.Today is the day that Raider fans will find out if the Silver and Black advance to the postseason and get their first opportunity in the playoffs since 2002.

Denarius Moore
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The ball that will drop this afternoon in Oakland is a lot more important than the one that dropped at midnight last night, and the one that everyone in Raider Nation has been patiently, or rather impatiently, waiting for.

When the Raiders’ late owner, Al Davis, told head coach Hue Jackson, “We will win it in the end,” just before he passed away on October 8, 2011, was it a prophecy for this season, or an eventual outcome farther down the road? Or did it not really mean anything at all?

I have to believe, as Jackson does, that Davis was right about this one. Whether or not it comes true in the 2011 season remains to be seen, but I think that the Raiders’ faith in victory will have an important affect on the ultimate outcome.

Safety Tyvon Branch remarked after the game on Christmas Eve, “I don’t know what it is about us. We just seem to find a way to make it interesting. We overcame a lot. We all stuck together. We all kept believing.”

Oakland has defeated San Diego in their last three battles, if, and when, the Raiders win today it will be a two-year sweep. After their wild and crazy victory against the Kansas City Chiefs in overtime, the team got their momentum and confidence back, and that may have been the missing ingredient during much of the month of December. They’ve got that fire going once again, and the time is now to show everyone what they’ve got.

Quarterback Carson Palmer has got two of his best offensive weapons back on the field in Oakland today, receivers Denarius Moore and Jacoby Ford. Running back Michael Bush may have slowed down a little over the last month, but he could be saving the best for last. How about a repeat performance of his outstanding efforts in San Diego on November 10? Bush had 30 carries for 157 yards and scored a touchdown.

The Chargers don’t have anything to gain by a win in Oakland, except possibly a little respect. Is it worth potentially injuring some of their best players and decreasing their chances for a healthy team next year?

There are so many reasons to believe the Raiders will win today, and a victory in front of the sold-out crowd at O.co Coliseum would be the best way to start out the New Year for everyone in the Raider Nation. After finding out that it was the team’s eighth consecutive sell out this season, Jackson said, ” My hat goes out to our fans for supporting us. What we have to do is give back to them as I’ve always said. And how we give back is by winning.”

That time is now. Just win baby!

K.C. Dermody grew up in the Bay Area of California, and has been an Oakland Raiders fan from the time she could walk. She has continued her loyalty to the team through its many ups and downs over the decades, and has been privileged to meet several of her favorite players, including famed quarterback, Jim Plunkett . Follow her at www.facebook.com/KCDermodyWriter, Twitter @kcdermody, or www.kcdermodywriter.com.

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The Oakland Raiders’ running back Michael Bush has done an exceptional job filling in for star running back Darren McFadden, who’s been out with a foot injury since he left in week seven in the game against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Michael Bush, Raiders
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It’s been Bush’s opportunity to shine as a starter, and he’s taking full advantage. This coming Sunday, Bush is being called on once again to steal the show against the San Diego Chargers, and he needs just 89 yards to surpass the 1,000 yard mark for the first time in his career.

Bush was signed by the Raiders as the first pick in the fourth round of the draft in 2007, but he’d been hobbled by a broken leg in college with the University of Louisville, and wasn’t able to get on the NFL field until 2008. In 2010, he rushed for 655 yards in 14 games and had eight touchdowns. Since filling in for McFadden this year, he’s got a total of 911 yards and seven touchdowns.

In Bush’s last game against San Diego, just after he came in for McFadden, he ran down the field 55 yards to set up a Raiders touchdown and by the end of the night, Bush was credited with a touchdown and 157 yards. In 2010, Bush played a significant part in the victory over the Chargers in the game at O.co Coliseum. In that match up, he had 26 carries for 104 yards and a touchdown.

Bush is in a very good position in the NFL right now, and he could make it even better on New Year’s Day. He’s coming to the end of a one-year, $2.6 million contract. After this season he’s a free agent, and playing so impressively, he’ll have a lot of teams taking a good look at this great running back. There is nothing like being a part of the Silver and Black, however, and he says he likes the weather in Oakland, so we’ll see what happens at the end of the year. Much of his decision could be riding on Sunday’s game, and the team’s continuation into the playoffs.

There are so many things riding on the New Year’s Day game, it’s hard to think of anything else. Just believe. Just win baby!

K.C. Dermody grew up in the Bay Area of California, and has been an Oakland Raiders fan from the time she could walk. She has continued her loyalty to the team through its many ups and downs over the decades, and has been privileged to meet several of her favorite players, including famed quarterback, Jim Plunkett . Follow her at www.facebook.com/KCDermodyWriter, Twitter @kcdermody, or www.kcdermodywriter.com.

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