Update Saturday afternoon: Full NFL Playoff Picture updates are here.
The Oakland Raiders (7-7) are currently in a muddled AFC playoff picture and are fighting for both the AFC west and final wildcard birth. Here is a look at how the messy playoff standings look heading into week 16, and what needs to happen for the Raiders to claim a spot.
In the AFC West, the Broncos hold a one game lead over Oakland. If Denver wins out, they win the division. They play the Bills in Buffalo and the Chiefs at home in the next two weeks.
If Denver loses to the Bills and beats Kansas City, and the Raiders win both games to tie the Broncos, Denver wins the AFC West. If Denver beats the Bills and loses to Kansas City, and Oakland wins both games, then a ton of number crunching has to be done between common opponents to see which team gains the advantage.
If the Broncos lose both games, the Raiders win both and the Chargers win both, they hold the tiebreaker over the Chargers and Oakland would win the division. If the Broncos and Raiders lose both, the Chargers only win one and the Chiefs win both, they win the AFC west because of the tiebreaker.
Basically, Raiders fans, go with this: the Raiders likely need to win both games if they want to win the division. You're rooting big time for the Broncos to lose and you want the Chiefs and Chargers to lose, as well.
As for the wildcard standings, there is only one spot remaining and the Raiders trail the Jets and Bengals by one game in the standings. They're tied with the Titans and Chargers. There are a million scenarios here, so all Oakland fans can do is hope their team wins both of their last two games and the Jets, Bengals, Titans and Chargers all lose as many games as possible.
It's a complete and total mess in the AFC right now. We'll know a lot more after week 16.