Odds the Oakland Raiders Make the NFL Playoffs & How to Bet on It

I'm a pretty jaded NFL bettor and fan. I prefer to bet money on sports that have easy-to-understand rules and officials that aren't seemingly making things up as they go. Of course I still bet the NFL every Sunday. I said I'm jaded, not dead.

By the time Week 13 or 14 rolls around, I just want to fast forward to the postseason so I can hopelessly watch as Tom Brady gets the ball back down two with 97 seconds left against the Chiefs or Ravens.

"Does he have another last-minute comeback in him?"

Of course he does.

As much as I am resigned to the fact that this season will end with Brady and Belichick on a confetti-soaked stage, there's one storyline that even the most fed-up NFL bettor can get behind.

Inexplicably, the Oakland Raiders, a team coached by Jon Gruden, can still make the postseason in their final season in Oakland.

It's almost as if the NFL forgot about the Raiders. I know I did. If you had asked me what the Raiders' record was going into Week 16, I would have guessed 5-10 — like it always is. And now here they are, stealing the spotlight right before the curtains come down on the regular season. You think Seahawks-49ers will be a fun game to bet? You ain't seen nothin' yet.

Prior to the season, you could bet the Raiders To Make the Playoffs at 5-1. Now, you can get them at better than 19-1 by betting the "Oakland Raiders To Make the Playoffs Four-Leg Parlay."

Here's how:

Note: I shouldn't need to tell you this, but this is not a +EV bet. It will almost certainly lose. Parlays like this are for fun and should bet in that fashion. Never bet more than your means and when the fun stops, stop.

How the Oakland Raiders Can Make the Playoffs

Baltimore Ravens (+110) vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

The Ravens have locked up everything they need to this season so they are going to bench a bunch of key players, including league MVP Lamar Jackson. That's a wise move, but doesn't really help us here. If John Harbaugh was the true agent of chaos we all give him credit for being, he would unleash Jackson on the Steelers.

Even if the Ravens are playing their No. 2 quarterback, the Steelers are using their No. 3 QB. Who are you more confident in, Robert Griffin III or Duck Hodges?

Indianapolis Colts (-200) at Jacksonville Jaguars

I gotta be honest — I have no idea why the Raiders need the Colts to win this game, but according to the NFL, they do. Regardless, the Jaguars called it a season around Halloween so I'm feeling good that the Colts can win one for The Gipper, here.

The Gipper being Jon Gruden, of course.

Houston Texans (+160) vs. Tennessee Titans

The Tennessee Titans have been a thorn in the side for seemingly every gambler out there. Ever since the Titans handed the keys to Ryan Tannehill, they have been squeezing wins out of nowhere. They are the luckiest team this side of the Seahawks.

The Texans won't have much to play for — if the Chiefs win in the early slate they are locked into the 4-seed — but head coach Bill O'Brien has said Houston is playing to win this game. That's news to my ears.

Regression is coming for the Titans and now seems like the perfect time for them to come back down to earth.

Oakland Raiders (+150) vs. Denver Broncos

This will all be moot if the Raiders can't hold up their end of the bargain and upset the Broncos as 3.5-point underdogs at Mile High.

What I'd give to be a fly on the wall in the locker room as Coach Gruden gets his team fired up to play this one.

So there you have it, a 19-1 parlay where you not only get paid some decent scratch, but you also get the prize of getting to watch Jon Gruden coach a playoff game in 2019.