The Oakland Raiders wrapped up their 2010 season with a strong 31-10 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs. The victory leaves the Raiders at 8-8, which is their first non-losing season since 2002. Although the 49ers had some downs in 2010, Raider Nation will likely consider this a positive campaign that the team can build on in 2011.
Although the Raiders won, San Diego’s victory over Denver kept them a game ahead of Oakland in the final division standings. While second place would have been nice, third place brings a tangible positive in the form of two opponents they would not otherwise face in 2011. This final finish means the Raiders face the third place teams from the AFC North and AFC South. Those two teams are the Cleveland Browns and Houston Texans.
If the Chargers had lost, the Raiders have found themselves facing Baltimore and Jacksonville. The Raiders proved in 2010 that they can hang with most anybody over 60 minutes on Sunday, but any team would favor the Browns and Texans over the Jags and Ravens.
The NFL will release 2011 game dates later this spring, which we’ll be sure to get posted. In the meantime, head over to Silver and Black Pride to discuss all things related to the Oakland Raiders.