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Oakland Raiders: Top 5 takeaways from Week 5 victory over the Chicago Bears

By James Carroll

LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 06: Daryl Worley #20 of the Oakland Raiders runs with the ball after making an interception, going on to score a touchdown which is later reversed after a review during the NFL match between the Chicago Bears and Oakland Raiders at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on October 06, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Jack Thomas/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 06: Daryl Worley #20 of the Oakland Raiders runs with the ball after making an interception, going on to score a touchdown which is later reversed after a review during the NFL match between the Chicago Bears and Oakland Raiders at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on October 06, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Jack Thomas/Getty Images) /
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LONDON, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 06: Darren Waller #83 of the Oakland Raiders celebrates after Josh Jacobs #28 of the Oakland Raiders (not pictured) rushes in his team’s third try during the match between the Chicago Bears and Oakland Raiders at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on October 06, 2019 in London, England. Oakland Raiders (Photo by Jack Thomas/Getty Images) /

5. The Raiders are mounting playoff hopes

With about a third of the season already in the books, it’s time to acknowledge that the Oakland Raiders’ 3-2 start is a huge victory for a team with few expectations going into the year.

And while it’s still a little early to be scoreboard watching, the Raiders are just a game behind the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC West.

Thanks to an Indianapolis Colts uprising and a Justin Houston homecoming, the Chiefs were upset 19-13 at home. It was a tough loss. And not just against any team — against a team that the Raiders have beaten before.

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Even if hopes of winning the AFC West are still slim, the Oakland Raiders are positioning themselves to make an unlikely run for a playoff berth if they’re able to keep up the success on the road.

It goes without saying that this two-month-long excursion from Oakland was going to make or break the Raiders’ season, but they’re trending in the right direction.

The goal has to be to stick around .500 — though being above .500 isn’t a bad thing at all, obviously. There are still tough challenges headed their way on this road trip, but success in the final stint of this trip could propel a massive homecoming.

The Raiders will have three straight home games to look forward to, against the Detroit Lions, Los Angeles Chargers, and Cincinnati Bengals.

Those are games that can be capitalized on. And if the team is playing well, getting through these next two games could begin putting them into the discussion of making the playoffs.

Though the Raiders will have to play exceptionally well to overcome the Kansas City Chiefs — a task that will require them to beat them in Kansas City in December — they still have a number of games against less-than-stellar teams.

It’s one week at a time for a young Raiders squad. But anything can happen.

Fans should begin feeling some of that excitement and allow it to mount up as the Raiders inch closer to coming back to Oakland.

Next. Oakland Raiders: Top 5 takeaways from Week 4 victory over the Indianapolis Colts. dark

Sometimes, all it takes is getting into the shuffle to make some noise in the playoffs.

Perhaps a run in the playoffs is an appropriate sendoff as the team says goodbye to the Town.

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